distruggere Italian · revision 38452

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=13th century, Malispini|origins=ine-pro *strew-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /disˈtrud.d͡ʒe.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''distruggere''' (first-person singular present distrùggo, first-person singular past historic distrùssi, past participle distrùtto, auxiliary avére)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old forms include [[roa-oit|destruggere]], [[roa-oit|destrugere]], [[roa-oit|distrurre]] and [[roa-oit|destruçer]] in Venice.^(LEI|19, 1536)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la-vul|*destrugō|alt=*destrugere]], [[inh|la|dēstruō|t=to pull down, demolish]], a compound of [[m|la|dē-]] and [[m|la|struō|t=to pile up, build]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(Wiktionary)^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003) The new infinitive was formed from the perfect [[m|la|dēstruō|alt=dēstrūxī]] and the participle [[m|la|dēstructus]].^(Nocentini 2010) Devoto explains it by analogy: as “lessi”, “letto” go with “leggo”, “leggere”, so “distrussi”, “distrutto” gave “distruggo”, “distruggere”, while the regular descendant of the Latin verb kept only the past forms.^(Devoto 1968|149)^(DELI 1999) The LEI too calls the Italian form a remaking on the participle, beside “distrurre” (after “condurre”) and the form without prefix, [[struggere]].^(LEI|19, 1536)

+

+ The Latin verb continues in [[fr|détruire]], [[oc|destruire]], [[ca|destrohir]], [[es|destruir]], [[pt|destruir]] and Engadine [[rm|desdrür]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935)^(LEI|19, 1536) Latin [[m|la|struō]] is from [[itc-pro|*strowe-]], from [[ine-pro|*strew-|t=to strew, spread out]], the root of [[en|strew]] and [[got|𐍃𐍄𐍂𐌰𐌿𐌾𐌰𐌽|tr=straujan|t=to strew]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is in Malispini (13th century), in the sense “to annihilate, bring to nothing”;^(DELI 1999)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(LEI|19, 1536) Zingarelli dates the word to about 1250, and the Venetian ''destruçer'' is in the ''Panfilo'' of about 1250.^(DELI 1999)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(LEI|19, 1536)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Dante uses the verb from about 1313, and the participle ''distrutto'' had already meant “drained of all strength” in his work of 1293–1294.^(LEI|19, 1536)^(DELI 1999) Old Italian also used it for melting wax or fat, a sense shared with ''struggere'', and for slowly consuming someone with grief or love, as in Petrarch's ''cieco desir, che ’l cor distrugge'', “blind desire, which consumes the heart”.^(LEI|19, 1536)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ The derivatives ''distruzione'', ''distruttivo'' and ''distruttore'' are semi-learned, from Latin ''dēstructiō'', ''dēstructīvus'' and ''dēstructor''.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) In modern Italian, besides demolishing and wiping out, the verb has many hyperbolic uses: a climb or a long argument that ''distrugge'' someone wears them out, and critics can ''distruggere'' a book.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) The LEI records a single borrowing from English in the family, ''destroyer'', the warship.^(LEI|19, 1536)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * About 1250 – Venetian ''destruçer'' appears in the ''Panfilo''.^(LEI|19, 1536)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ * Early 13th century – ''Destruzione'' is used by Ugieri Apugliese.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 13th century – Ricordano Malispini uses ''distruggere''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1293–1294 – Dante uses ''distrutto'' “exhausted”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * About 1313 – Dante uses ''distruggere''.^(LEI|19, 1536)

+ * 1438 – Leon Battista Alberti writes ''destruggere''.^(LEI|19, 1536)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|destroy]], ruin completely, reduce to pieces or nothing: ''L’incendio ha distrutto il bosco.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To wipe out an army, a population or animals: to [[m|en|annihilate]].^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(figurative)'' To bring to ruin, wreck a life or a family; to make efforts vain or take away hopes.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # ''(figurative, often hyperbolic)'' To exhaust someone physically or morally: ''Quel viaggio mi ha distrutto.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(figurative)'' To demolish a reputation or a work by harsh [[m|en|criticism]].^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(archaic)'' To melt wax or fat.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[distruzione]]

+ * [[distruttivo]]

+ * [[distrutto]]

+ * [[distruttore]]

+ * [[distruttibile]]

+ * [[indistruttibile]]

+ * [[distruggitore]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[struggere]]

+ * [[costruire]]

+ * [[struttura]]

+ * [[la|dēstruō]]

+ * [[fr|détruire]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Nulla si crea e nulla si distrugge'' (nothing is created and nothing destroyed) is a set phrase.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011) The reflexive ''distruggersi'' means to ruin one's health, or in literary use to pine away.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}