English
destroy
Destroy comes from Old French destruire, from Vulgar Latin *destrugō, from Latin dēstruō ‘to destroy’, from struō ‘to build’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *strew- ‘to spread’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strew-‘to strew’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*stréwetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*strowō‘to pile up’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstruō‘to build’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēstruō‘to destroy’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*destrugō‘to destroy’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400destruire‘to destroy’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500destroyen‘to demolish’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611destroy
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strew-‘to strew’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*stréwetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*strowō‘to pile up’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstruō‘to build’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēstruō‘to destroy’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*destrugō‘to destroy’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400destruire‘to destroy’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500destroyen‘to demolish’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611destroy
Earliest quotation: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “Iesus answered, and said vnto them, Destroy this temple,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *strew- ‘to strew, to spread out’
strain, straw, constructive, stray, obstruction, obstruct, perestroika, misconstrue, stripling, 11 more
through Proto-Italic *strowō ‘to construct, build’
through Latin struō ‘to build’
construction, structure, instrument, instructor, construct, instruct, construe, 6 more
Today it means
verb To damage beyond use or repair; to damage (something) to the point that it effectively ceases to exist.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *strew- / destroy