Destruct
/dɪˈstrʌkt/noun
To destroy or cause to be destroyed, especially by self-destruction or demolition.
Did you know?Destruct comes from Latin destructus, the past participle of destruere, and shares a root with words about building and structure—so its oldest meaning is basically the undoing of construction.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*strew-
“to spread out, strew”
Latin
Latin
struere
“to pile up, build, arrange”
Latin
Latin
construere
“to build together; assemble”
Latin
Latin
destruere
“to tear down, demolish”
Middle English
English
destructen
“to destroy, demolish”
Modern English
English
destruct
“to destroy or cause destruction”