destroyv.

Brit.

/dᵻˈstrɔɪ/, U.S.

/dəˈstrɔɪ/,

/diˈstrɔɪ/

Forms: Middle English destrui-e(n, Middle English destruy-e(n, destru-e(n, ( destru, destriu), Middle English destry(e, Middle English–1500s destroye, (Middle English destroȝe, 1500s destrowe), 1500s–1600s destroie, Middle English– destroy; also Middle English disstrie, dysstrye, Middle English distruy(e, distruie, distruyȝe, distroȝe, distrou, Middle English–1500s distroy(e, Middle English–1600s distroie, Middle English distrie, distroi, Middle English–1500s dystroy(e, dis-, dystrow(e, dystrue, distrye.

Etymology: Middle English destruyen , etc., < Old French destruire (modern French détruire = Provençal destruir , Spanish destruir , Italian distruggere ) < late popular Latin *dēstrūgĕre , participial stem dēstrūct- , for classical Latin dēstruĕre , < de- prefix 1f + struĕre to pile up, construct.

a. transitive. To pull down or undo (that which has been built); to demolish, raze to the ground.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > breaking or cracking > break [verb (transitive)] > break down, demolish, or ruin

spillc950

fellOE

to cast downc1230

destroy1297

to turn up?c1335

to throw down1340

to ding downc1380

to break downa1382

subverta1382

underturn1382

to take downc1384

falla1400

to make (a building, etc.) plain (with the earth)a1400

voida1400

brittenc1400

to burst downc1440

to pull downc1450

pluck1481

tumble1487

wreck1510

defacea1513

confound1523

raze1523

arase1530

to beat downc1540

ruinate1548

demolish1560

plane1562

to shovel down1563

race?1567

ruin1585

rape1597

unwall1598

to bluster down16..

raise1603

level1614

debolish1615

unbuilda1616

to make smooth work of1616

slight1640

to knock down1776

squabash1822

collapse1883

to turn over1897

mash1924

rubble1945

to take apart1978

1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (1724) 242 Edwyne..destrude wyde aboute..Alle ys stedes, ver and ner, and to grounde caste.

a1300 Fall & Passion 85 in Early Eng. Poems & Lives Saints (1862) 15 He wolde destru temple an chirche.

c1380 Eng. Wycliffite Serm. in Sel. Wks. I. 25 Þi wallis al distried.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 22348 Bath destrui þam tun and tur.

c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (Roxb.) v. 15 Þare was..a faire citee of Cristen men, but Sarzenes hase destruyd it.

1489 W. Caxton tr. C. de Pisan Bk. Fayttes of Armes ii. xxxvii. 157 The cite of rome shulde haue be dystroyed.

a1513 H. Bradshaw Lyfe St. Werburge (1521) ii. v. sig. o.i This kyng entended by mortall enuy The cite of Chestre to spoyle and distrye.

1526 Bible (Tyndale) John ii. f. cxxj^v Iesus answered, and said vnto them: destroye this temple, and in thre dayes I will rayse it vppe agayne.

1632 J. Hayward tr. G. F. Biondi Eromena 78 To undergoe the brunt of destroying Epicamido's whole campe.

1772 J. Adams tr. A. de Ulloa Voy. S. Amer. (ed. 3) II. 82 Another earthquake happened, by which several houses were destroyed.

1834 L. Ritchie Wanderings by Seine 237 The English destroyed [the monastery] and half a century afterwards rebuilt it.

b. Said of the action of water in dissolving and demolishing or washing away.

ΚΠ

1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. vii. 317 For the nature of violent streames..[is to] destroy all that they debord upon.

1656 B. Harris tr. J. N. de Parival Hist. Iron Age i. iii. i. 68 Like a Torrent, which carries away, and destroyes all.

1772 J. Adams tr. A. de Ulloa Voy. S. Amer. (ed. 3) I. 201 The rain utterly destroys all the trenches.

1835 W. Cruise Digest Laws (ed. 4) I. iii. ii. §24 If the banks of a river are destroyed by a sudden flood it is not waste.

†2.

a. To lay waste, ravage, make desolate. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > destroy [verb (transitive)] > devastate or lay waste (a place, etc.)

harryc893

fordoc900

awesteeOE

westeeOE

losec950

harrowc1000

destroyc1230

wastec1275

ravishc1325

to lie waste1338

exilea1382

to-wastea1382

unronea1400

desolatea1425

vast1434

fruster?a1513

to lay waste1535

wipe1535

devast1537

depopulate1548

populate1552

forwaste1563

ruinate1564

havoc1575

scourge1576

dispopulate1588

destitute1593

ravage1602

harassa1618

devastate1638

execute1679

to make stroy of1682

to lay in ashes1711

untown1783

hell-rake1830

uncity1850

c1230 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 198 A leafdi..mid hire fan biset al abuten. hire lond al destruet.

c1320 Sir Beues 2442 And al þe contre, saun doute, Þai distruede hit al aboute.

c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 120 Destroyyn a cuntre (or feeldis P.), depopulor, depredo, devasto.

1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 202/1 That same tyme attila destroyed Italye.

1584 H. Llwyd & D. Powel Hist. Cambria 11 Destroied the province of Chester.

1611 Bible (King James) Ezek. xxx. 11 The terrible of the nations shall be brought to destroy the land.

†b. To ruin (men), to undo in worldly estate.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > poverty > make poor or impoverish [verb (transitive)]

destroy1297

poverisha1382

apoora1400

impover1418

poora1425

dispurveyc1430

impoverish1440

beggar1528

weaken1530

ruinate1547

ruin1560

depauper1562

depoverish1569

craze1573

soak1577

sift1591

waste1599

impoor1613

uncluea1616

depauperate1623

disenrich1647

necessitate1647

erumnate1676

straiten1699

poorify1711

pauperize1806

pauperate1839

pauper1841

to clear out1884

immiserate1956

penny-pincha1961

immiserize1971

1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (1724) 376 He destrude þat pouere volc, & nom of hem hys preye.

1621 R. Bolton Statutes Ireland 9 ( ann. 25 Hen. VI) The Irish enemies..destroy the common people by lodging upon them in the nights.

a. To undo, break into useless pieces, or reduce into a useless form, consume, or dissolve (any material structure or object).

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > destroy [verb (transitive)]

to bring to noughteOE

forspillc893

fordilghec900

to bring to naughtOE

astryea1200

stroyc1200

forferec1275

misdoa1325

destroyc1330

naught1340

dingc1380

beshenda1400

devoida1400

unshapea1400

to wend downa1400

brittenc1400

unloukc1400

perishc1426

defeat1435

unmake1439

lithc1450

spend1481

kill1530

to shend ofc1540

quade1565

to make away1566

discreate1570

wrake1570

wracka1586

unwork1587

gaster1609

defease1621

unbe1624

uncreate1633

destructa1638

naufragate1648

stifle1725

stramash1788

disannul1794

destructify1841

locust1868

to knock out1944

dick1972

c1330 (?c1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) l. 1120 Mi bodi destrud and leyd on bere.

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Prov. xxi. 20 An vnprudent man schal distrie it.

1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. i. 212 For meny mannys malt we mys wolde distrye.

1700 S. L. tr. C. Schweitzer Relation Voy. in tr. C. Frick & C. Schweitzer Relation Two Voy. E.-Indies 245 That day we destroy'd about 1100 of their Skiffs, little and great.

c1790 J. Willock Voy. diverse parts 154 Plundering and destroying whatever they can lay hands on.

1798 H. Skrine Two Tours Wales 155 A fire, by which most of the old houses were destroyed.

1828 J. E. Blunt Ambler's Rep. Cases Chancery (ed. 2) 1 147 A deed which was charged in his bill to have been destroyed and lost by Roger.

1884 A. C. J. Gustafson Found. Death (ed. 3) ii. 25 All the ancient Egyptian works on alchemy..were ruthlessly destroyed by the Roman Emperor Diocletian.

1887 C. Bowen tr. Virgil Æneid v, in tr. Virgil in Eng. Verse 253 The vessels of Troy..are saved from flames that destroy.

b. To render useless, to injure or spoil utterly.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > damage > damage or injure [verb (transitive)]

mareOE

shendOE

hinderc1000

amarOE

awemc1275

noyc1300

touchc1300

bleche1340

blemisha1375

spill1377

misdoa1387

grieve1390

damagea1400

despoil?a1400

matea1400

snapea1400

mankc1400

overthrowa1425

tamec1430

undermine1430

blunder1440

depaira1460

adommage?1473

endamage1477

prejudicec1487

fulyie1488

martyra1500

dyscrase?1504

corrupt1526

mangle1534

danger1538

destroy1542

spoil1563

ruinate1564

ruin1567

wrake1570

injury1579

bane1587

massacre1589

ravish1594

wrong1595

rifle1604

tainta1616

mutilea1618

to do violence toa1625

flaw1665

stun1676

quail1682

maul1694

moil1698

damnify1712

margullie1721

maul1782

buga1790

mux1806

queer1818

batter1840

puckeroo1840

rim-rack1841

pretty1868

garbage1899

savage1899

to do in1905

strafe1915

mash1924

blow1943

nuke1967

mung1969

1542 A. Borde Compend. Regyment Helth xi. sig. F.iv^v God may sende a man good meate, but the deuyll may sende an euyll coke to dystrue it.

1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde iii. v. f. 115^v Locustes whiche destrowe the fieldes of corne.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 136 With Blites destroy my Corn.

1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VII. 8 Shells assume every colour but blue; and that sea-water..would be apt to destroy.

1803 J. Forbes Let. 6 Sept. in Lett. from France (1806) II. xlvii. 60 The long drought and extreme heat have destroyed their vegetables.

4. To put out of existence (living beings); to deprive of life; to slay, kill.(Now chiefly said of war, pestilence, intemperance, etc., which destroy multitudes, also of the destruction of noxious animals, and of suicide (self-destruction).)

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > death > killing > kill [verb (transitive)]

swevec725

quelmeOE

slayc893

quelleOE

of-falleOE

ofslayeOE

aquellc950

ayeteeOE

spillc950

beliveOE

to bring (also do) of (one's) life-dayOE

fordoa1000

forfarea1000

asweveOE

drepeOE

forleseOE

martyrOE

to do (also i-do, draw) of lifeOE

bringc1175

off-quellc1175

quenchc1175

forswelta1225

adeadc1225

to bring of daysc1225

to do to deathc1225

to draw (a person) to deathc1225

murder?c1225

aslayc1275

forferec1275

to lay to ground, to earth (Sc. at eird)c1275

martyrc1300

strangle1303

destroya1325

misdoa1325

killc1330

tailc1330

to take the life of (also fro)c1330

enda1340

to kill to (into, unto) death1362

brittena1375

deadc1374

to ding to deathc1380

mortifya1382

perisha1387

to dight to death1393

colea1400

fella1400

kill out (away, down, up)a1400

to slay up or downa1400

swelta1400

voida1400

deliverc1400

starvec1425

jugylc1440

morta1450

to bring to, on, or upon (one's) bierc1480

to put offc1485

to-slaya1500

to make away with1502

to put (a person or thing) to silencec1503

rida1513

to put downa1525

to hang out of the way1528

dispatch?1529

strikea1535

occidea1538

to firk to death, (out) of lifec1540

to fling to deathc1540

extinct1548

to make out of the way1551

to fet offa1556

to cut offc1565

to make away?1566

occise1575

spoil1578

senda1586

to put away1588

exanimate1593

unmortalize1593

speed1594

unlive1594

execute1597

dislive1598

extinguish1598

to lay along1599

to make hence1605

conclude1606

kill off1607

disanimate1609

feeze1609

to smite, stab in, under the fifth rib1611

to kill dead1615

transporta1616

spatch1616

to take off1619

mactate1623

to make meat of1632

to turn up1642

inanimate1647

pop1649

enecate1657

cadaverate1658

expedite1678

to make dog's meat of1679

to make mincemeat of1709

sluice1749

finisha1753

royna1770

still1778

do1780

deaden1807

deathifyc1810

to lay out1829

cool1833

to use up1833

puckeroo1840

to rub out1840

cadaverize1841

to put under the sod1847

suicide1852

outkill1860

to fix1875

to put under1879

corpse1884

stiffen1888

tip1891

to do away with1899

to take out1900

stretch1902

red-light1906

huff1919

to knock rotten1919

skittle1919

liquidate1924

clip1927

to set over1931

creasea1935

ice1941

lose1942

to put to sleep1942

zap1942

to take down1967

wax1968

trash1973

ace1975

a1325 Prose Psalter li[i]. 5 Þer-for shal God destruen þe on ende.

a1340 R. Rolle Psalter ix. 40 When antecrist is distroid all goed sall regne.

c1385 G. Chaucer Legend Good Women Dido. 1318 These lordis..Wele me distroyen only for ȝoure sake.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 22133 First he sal do alle destru [Coll. Phys. destriu, Gött. distrou] þat halud was of ur lauerd iesu.

1473 J. Warkworth Chron. 20 The Bastarde..hade purposed to have distruyt Kynge Edwarde.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Bel & Dragon i. D I shal destroye this dragon without swearde or staff.

a1547 in F. J. Furnivall Capt. Cox (1871) Pref. 130 Haue youe drunkune any contagius drynke to dystrowe your chyld.

1700 S. L. tr. C. Schweitzer Relation Voy. in tr. C. Frick & C. Schweitzer Relation Two Voy. E.-Indies 291 Rat-Catchers..destroy the Rats and Mice as much as any Cats would.

1712 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1889) III. 368 Of whose destroying himself I have made mention.

1726 W. R. Chetwood Voy. & Adventures Capt. R. Boyle 131 I was..going to destroy my self..in the height of my Despair.

1794 R. J. Sulivan View of Nature II. 252 A deluge in Friezeland covered the whole coasts, and destroyed the greatest part of the inhabitants.

1839 T. Beale Nat. Hist. Sperm Whale 160 Those young bulls..are perhaps the most difficult to destroy.

1887 C. Bowen tr. Virgil Æneid iii., in tr. Virgil in Eng. Verse 149 It had pleased the Immortals..to destroy Priam's innocent people.

a. To bring to nought, put an end to; to do away with, annihilate (any institution, condition, state, quality, or thing immaterial).

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > destroy [verb (transitive)] > bring to ruin or put an end to

undoc950

shendOE

forfarea1000

endc1000

to do awayOE

aquenchc1175

slayc1175

stathea1200

tinea1300

to-spilla1300

batec1300

bleschea1325

honisha1325

leesea1325

wastec1325

stanch1338

corrumpa1340

destroy1340

to put awayc1350

dissolvec1374

supplanta1382

to-shend1382

aneantizec1384

avoidc1384

to put outa1398

beshenda1400

swelta1400

amortizec1405

distract1413

consumec1425

shelfc1425

abroge1427

downthringc1430

kill1435

poisonc1450

defeat1474

perish1509

to blow away1523

abrogatea1529

to prick (also turn, pitch) over the perka1529

dash?1529

to bring (also send) to (the) pot1531

put in the pot1531

wipea1538

extermine1539

fatec1540

peppera1550

disappoint1563

to put (also set) beside the saddle1563

to cut the throat of1565

to throw (also turn, etc.) over the perch1568

to make a hand of (also on, with)1569

demolish1570

to break the neck of1576

to make shipwreck of1577

spoil1578

to knock on (in) the head (also rarely at head)1579

cipher1589

ruinate1590

to cut off by the shins1592

shipwreck1599

exterminate1605

finish1611

damnify1612

ravel1614

braina1616

stagger1629

unrivet1630

consummate1634

pulverizea1640

baffle1649

devil1652

to blow up1660

feague1668

shatter1683

cook1708

to die away1748

to prove fatal (to)1759

to knock up1764

to knock (or kick) the hindsight out or off1834

to put the kibosh on1834

to cook (rarely do) one's goose1835

kibosh1841

to chaw up1843

cooper1851

to jack up1870

scuttle1888

to bugger up1891

jigger1895

torpedo1895

on the fritz1900

to put paid to1901

rot1908

down and out1916

scuppera1918

to put the skids under1918

stonker1919

liquidate1924

to screw up1933

cruel1934

to dig the grave of1934

pox1935

blow1936

to hit for six1937

to piss up1937

to dust off1938

zap1976

1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 4453 Þan sal he destroye cristen lawe.

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Prov. xxi. 22 [They] destroȝide [a1425 L.V. distriede] the strengthe of the trost of it.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 25239 Destru [Fairf. destroy, Gött. destruy] þou lauerd! wit pouste þin þe mightes o þis wiþerwin.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Job xiv. 18 So destroyest thou the hope of man.

c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 13240 All hir note of Nigromansy naitly distroyet.

1623 J. Webster Dutchesse of Malfy iv. ii. sig. K4^v So pitty, would destroy pitty.

1714 S. Centlivre Wonder iv. 52 One tender Word destroys a Lover's Rage.

1752 S. Johnson Rambler No. 193. ⁋9 Every other enjoyment malice may destroy.

1833 L. Ritchie Wanderings by Loire 17 To wait..would destroy the little chance we appeared to have.

1841 R. W. Emerson Intellect in Ess. 1st Ser. (London ed.) 345 Silence is a solvent that destroys personality.

1893 Law Times 94 603/2 He..had been heard to express a determination to destroy his life.

†b. Mathematics. To cancel, eliminate, cause to disappear. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > algebra > perform algebra [verb (transitive)] > eliminate quantity or simplify

cancel1543

lessen1668

destroy1706

eliminate1736

exterminate1743

rationalize1816

1706 W. Jones Synopsis Palmariorum Matheseos 130 After the same manner any other Term in this..Equation may be destroyed.

1763 W. Emerson Method of Increments 123 2 series, where all the terms destroy one another except the first.

c. Law. To nullify, invalidate, do away with.

ΘΚΠ

society > law > rule of law > illegality > render illegal [verb (transitive)] > deprive of legal validity

abatea1325

squatcha1325

voida1325

allayc1325

annul1395

reverse1395

revokec1400

rupt?a1425

repealc1425

abroge1427

defeat1429

purloin1461

cassa1464

toll1467

resume1472

reprove1479

suspend1488

discharge1495

reduce1498

cassate1512

defease1512

denulla1513

disannula1513

fordoa1513

avoid1514–5

abrogate?1520

frustrate1528

revert1528

disaffirm?1530

extinct1530

resolve1537

null1538

nihilate1545

extinguish1548

elidec1554

revocate1564

annullate1570

squat1577

skaila1583

irritate1605

retex1606

nullify1607

unable1611

refix1621

vitiate1627

invalid1643

vacate1643

unlaw1644

outlaw1647

invalidate1649

disenact1651

vacuate1654

supersedec1674

destroy1805

break1891

1805 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. V. 172 A power collateral to the land..cannot be destroyed by a fine, levied [etc.].

1818 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. (ed. 2) II. 353 A person who has only a trust estate, cannot..destroy a contingent remainder expectant on his estate.

1892 L. Goodeve Pers. Property (ed. 2) 361 The statutes above cited do not destroy the right.

6. To counteract or neutralize the effect of; to render of no avail.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > operation upon something > have effect on [verb (transitive)] > neutralize or counteract

fordoc1175

counterpoisec1374

correct1578

countercheck1590

countervail1590

cancel1633

counterbalance1636

counterswaya1640

countermand1645

counter-influence1667

counteract1694

destroy1726

neutralizea1797

counterweigh1825

antagonize1833

mitigate1857

kill1858

1726 Bp. J. Butler 15 Serm. ix. 165 These contrary Passions..do not necessarily destroy each other.

1759 W. Hillary Observ. Changes Air & Dis. Barbados 181 If they are of opposite and contrary Natures, they must at best only destroy each other.

1772 J. Adams tr. A. de Ulloa Voy. S. Amer. (ed. 3) I. 61 The medicine has destroyed the malignity of the poison.

1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps ii. vi. 253 A red glass..is red because..it destroys the shorter waves which produce the other colours.

†7. to destroy into or to (reproducing perdere in gehennam of Vulgate): to consign or give over to perdition in. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > reprobation > cause reprobation [verb (transitive)]

to fordo into or toc950

fordeemc1000

damnc1325

to destroy into or toc1380

reprobatec1451

condemn1489

pretermit1608

Tartarize1675

Tartarus1856

c1380 J. Wyclif Wks. (1880) 265 It is grett meruaile þat god..distroieþ not alle þis cursed peple to helle.

1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. x. 28 Which is able to destroye both soule and body into hell. [So Coverd., Cranm., Rhemish; Wyclif lese in to; Geneva & 1611 in.]

Derivatives

destroyed adj.

/dɪˈstrɔɪd/ despoiled; ravaged; slain; ruined; reduced to a useless condition.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > [adjective] > destroyed

forwroughta1325

lorna1400

destroyedc1440

perishedc1440

shentc1440

defeatc1540

spiltc1540

dissolved?1541

interempt1561

baned1568

mischievedc1570

defeated1578

ruined1585

downcast1592

gone1598

collapsed1610

to take up for hawks' meat1612

naughta1616

blasted1747

wreckeda1821

butchered1839

fucked-up1863

kaput1895

piled-up1906

shambled1940

c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 123 Destroyyde, destructus, dissipatus.

1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 76 Being a Lady of faithfull memory to her destroyed husband.

1640 (title) England's Petition to their King; an Humble Petition of the distressed and almost destroyed subjects of England.

1818 G. S. Faber Horæ Mosaicæ (ed. 2) I. 82 The destroyed book of the Sibyl.

1822 P. B. Shelley Hellas 25 One cry from the destroy'd and the destroyer Rose.

Draft additions 1993

To put (a sick or unwanted animal) to death deliberately and humanely.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > death > killing > killing of animals > kill animal [verb (transitive)] > by specific method

sticklOE

worry1340

strikea1400

spaya1425

lipc1475

smeek1691

pith1805

whoo-whoop1812

halal1819

to bark1865

destroy1866

flight1892

lethalize1897

lethal1922

1866 J. Gamgee Cattle Plague i. 141 The only sure and certain way to annihilate this virus is to destroy the animals which by their sickness indicate its presence.

1911 Coal Mines Act 1 & 2 Geo. V c. 50 Sched. 3 §16 The owner, agent, or manager shall..furnish a statement showing the number of horses..during the year..required to be destroyed in consequence of injury or disease.

1936 F. Bullock Handbk. for Vet. Surgeons (ed. 3) iv. 188 If it becomes necessary to destroy a horse below ground, the ‘Exit’ Humane Horse Killer..must be used.

1958 M. Bishop It's Dog's Life xi. 131 The dog can always be destroyed later if you feel he's not enjoying life.

1976 New Yorker 8 Mar. 105/2 When he could no longer get up in his stall..he was destroyed.

1986 Financial Times 21 June 1/5 Mr Jopling said radiation levels were now falling and he did not anticipate any need for destroying animals.

1997 Guardian 24 May (Weekend Suppl.) 27/1 We only ever destroy animals if they are in severe pain, are sick, or exhibit anti-social behaviour, which means they are impossible to re-home.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1895; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	destroy
释义	† destroyn. Forms: In 1600s distroie. Etymology: < destroy v. Obsolete. rare. Destruction. ΘΚΠ the world > life > death > killing > slaughter > [noun] sleightc893 wal-slaught?a900 qualeeOE deathOE swordc1000 morthOE slaughta1225 destroyingc1300 drepingc1300 martyrdomc1325 murderc1325 mortc1330 sleighterc1330 slaughter1338 iron and firea1387 murraina1387 manslaughtera1400 martyre?a1400 quella1425 occision?a1430 decease1513 destruction1526 slaughting1535 butchery?1536 butchering1572 massacrea1578 slaughterdom1592 slaughtering1597 carnage1600 massacring1600 slaughtery1604 internecion1610 decimationa1613 destroy1616 trucidation1623 stragea1632 sword-wrack1646 interemption1656 carnifice1657 panolethry1668 butcher work1808 bloodbath1814 populicide1824 man-slaughtering1851 battue1864 mass murder1917 genocide1944 overkill1957 1616 J. Lane Contin. Squire's Tale ix. 476 The sweete boy, wailinge most rufullie his frendes distroie. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1895; most recently modified version published online June 2021). destroyv. Brit. /dᵻˈstrɔɪ/, U.S. /dəˈstrɔɪ/, /diˈstrɔɪ/ Forms: Middle English destrui-e(n, Middle English destruy-e(n, destru-e(n, ( destru, destriu), Middle English destry(e, Middle English–1500s destroye, (Middle English destroȝe, 1500s destrowe), 1500s–1600s destroie, Middle English– destroy; also Middle English disstrie, dysstrye, Middle English distruy(e, distruie, distruyȝe, distroȝe, distrou, Middle English–1500s distroy(e, Middle English–1600s distroie, Middle English distrie, distroi, Middle English–1500s dystroy(e, dis-, dystrow(e, dystrue, distrye. Etymology: Middle English destruyen , etc., < Old French destruire (modern French détruire = Provençal destruir , Spanish destruir , Italian distruggere ) < late popular Latin dēstrūgĕre , participial stem dēstrūct-* , for classical Latin dēstruĕre , < de- prefix 1f + struĕre to pile up, construct. 1. a. transitive. To pull down or undo (that which has been built); to demolish, raze to the ground. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > breaking or cracking > break [verb (transitive)] > break down, demolish, or ruin spillc950 fellOE to cast downc1230 destroy1297 to turn up?c1335 to throw down1340 to ding downc1380 to break downa1382 subverta1382 underturn1382 to take downc1384 falla1400 to make (a building, etc.) plain (with the earth)a1400 voida1400 brittenc1400 to burst downc1440 to pull downc1450 pluck1481 tumble1487 wreck1510 defacea1513 confound1523 raze1523 arase1530 to beat downc1540 ruinate1548 demolish1560 plane1562 to shovel down1563 race?1567 ruin1585 rape1597 unwall1598 to bluster down16.. raise1603 level1614 debolish1615 unbuilda1616 to make smooth work of1616 slight1640 to knock down1776 squabash1822 collapse1883 to turn over1897 mash1924 rubble1945 to take apart1978 1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (1724) 242 Edwyne..destrude wyde aboute..Alle ys stedes, ver and ner, and to grounde caste. a1300 Fall & Passion 85 in Early Eng. Poems & Lives Saints (1862) 15 He wolde destru temple an chirche. c1380 Eng. Wycliffite Serm. in Sel. Wks. I. 25 Þi wallis al distried. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 22348 Bath destrui þam tun and tur. c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (Roxb.) v. 15 Þare was..a faire citee of Cristen men, but Sarzenes hase destruyd it. 1489 W. Caxton tr. C. de Pisan Bk. Fayttes of Armes ii. xxxvii. 157 The cite of rome shulde haue be dystroyed. a1513 H. Bradshaw Lyfe St. Werburge (1521) ii. v. sig. o.i This kyng entended by mortall enuy The cite of Chestre to spoyle and distrye. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) John ii. f. cxxj^v Iesus answered, and said vnto them: destroye this temple, and in thre dayes I will rayse it vppe agayne. 1632 J. Hayward tr. G. F. Biondi Eromena 78 To undergoe the brunt of destroying Epicamido's whole campe. 1772 J. Adams tr. A. de Ulloa Voy. S. Amer. (ed. 3) II. 82 Another earthquake happened, by which several houses were destroyed. 1834 L. Ritchie Wanderings by Seine 237 The English destroyed [the monastery] and half a century afterwards rebuilt it. b. Said of the action of water in dissolving and demolishing or washing away. ΚΠ 1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. vii. 317 For the nature of violent streames..[is to] destroy all that they debord upon. 1656 B. Harris tr. J. N. de Parival Hist. Iron Age i. iii. i. 68 Like a Torrent, which carries away, and destroyes all. 1772 J. Adams tr. A. de Ulloa Voy. S. Amer. (ed. 3) I. 201 The rain utterly destroys all the trenches. 1835 W. Cruise Digest Laws (ed. 4) I. iii. ii. §24 If the banks of a river are destroyed by a sudden flood it is not waste. †2. a. To lay waste, ravage, make desolate. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > destroy [verb (transitive)] > devastate or lay waste (a place, etc.) harryc893 fordoc900 awesteeOE westeeOE losec950 harrowc1000 destroyc1230 wastec1275 ravishc1325 to lie waste1338 exilea1382 to-wastea1382 unronea1400 desolatea1425 vast1434 fruster?a1513 to lay waste1535 wipe1535 devast1537 depopulate1548 populate1552 forwaste1563 ruinate1564 havoc1575 scourge1576 dispopulate1588 destitute1593 ravage1602 harassa1618 devastate1638 execute1679 to make stroy of1682 to lay in ashes1711 untown1783 hell-rake1830 uncity1850 c1230 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 198 A leafdi..mid hire fan biset al abuten. hire lond al destruet. c1320 Sir Beues 2442 And al þe contre, saun doute, Þai distruede hit al aboute. c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 120 Destroyyn a cuntre (or feeldis P.), depopulor, depredo, devasto. 1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 202/1 That same tyme attila destroyed Italye. 1584 H. Llwyd & D. Powel Hist. Cambria 11 Destroied the province of Chester. 1611 Bible (King James) Ezek. xxx. 11 The terrible of the nations shall be brought to destroy the land. View more context for this quotation †b. To ruin (men), to undo in worldly estate. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > poverty > make poor or impoverish [verb (transitive)] destroy1297 poverisha1382 apoora1400 impover1418 poora1425 dispurveyc1430 impoverish1440 beggar1528 weaken1530 ruinate1547 ruin1560 depauper1562 depoverish1569 craze1573 soak1577 sift1591 waste1599 impoor1613 uncluea1616 depauperate1623 disenrich1647 necessitate1647 erumnate1676 straiten1699 poorify1711 pauperize1806 pauperate1839 pauper1841 to clear out1884 immiserate1956 penny-pincha1961 immiserize1971 1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (1724) 376 He destrude þat pouere volc, & nom of hem hys preye. 1621 R. Bolton Statutes Ireland 9 ( ann. 25 Hen. VI) The Irish enemies..destroy the common people by lodging upon them in the nights. 3. a. To undo, break into useless pieces, or reduce into a useless form, consume, or dissolve (any material structure or object). ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > destroy [verb (transitive)] to bring to noughteOE forspillc893 fordilghec900 to bring to naughtOE astryea1200 stroyc1200 forferec1275 misdoa1325 destroyc1330 naught1340 dingc1380 beshenda1400 devoida1400 unshapea1400 to wend downa1400 brittenc1400 unloukc1400 perishc1426 defeat1435 unmake1439 lithc1450 spend1481 kill1530 to shend ofc1540 quade1565 to make away1566 discreate1570 wrake1570 wracka1586 unwork1587 gaster1609 defease1621 unbe1624 uncreate1633 destructa1638 naufragate1648 stifle1725 stramash1788 disannul1794 destructify1841 locust1868 to knock out1944 dick1972 c1330 (?c1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) l. 1120 Mi bodi destrud and leyd on bere. a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Prov. xxi. 20 An vnprudent man schal distrie it. 1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. i. 212 For meny mannys malt we mys wolde distrye. 1700 S. L. tr. C. Schweitzer Relation Voy. in tr. C. Frick & C. Schweitzer Relation Two Voy. E.-Indies 245 That day we destroy'd about 1100 of their Skiffs, little and great. c1790 J. Willock Voy. diverse parts 154 Plundering and destroying whatever they can lay hands on. 1798 H. Skrine Two Tours Wales 155 A fire, by which most of the old houses were destroyed. 1828 J. E. Blunt Ambler's Rep. Cases Chancery (ed. 2) 1 147 A deed which was charged in his bill to have been destroyed and lost by Roger. 1884 A. C. J. Gustafson Found. Death (ed. 3) ii. 25 All the ancient Egyptian works on alchemy..were ruthlessly destroyed by the Roman Emperor Diocletian. 1887 C. Bowen tr. Virgil Æneid v, in tr. Virgil in Eng. Verse 253 The vessels of Troy..are saved from flames that destroy. b. To render useless, to injure or spoil utterly. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > damage > damage or injure [verb (transitive)] mareOE shendOE hinderc1000 amarOE awemc1275 noyc1300 touchc1300 bleche1340 blemisha1375 spill1377 misdoa1387 grieve1390 damagea1400 despoil?a1400 matea1400 snapea1400 mankc1400 overthrowa1425 tamec1430 undermine1430 blunder1440 depaira1460 adommage?1473 endamage1477 prejudicec1487 fulyie1488 martyra1500 dyscrase?1504 corrupt1526 mangle1534 danger1538 destroy1542 spoil1563 ruinate1564 ruin1567 wrake1570 injury1579 bane1587 massacre1589 ravish1594 wrong1595 rifle1604 tainta1616 mutilea1618 to do violence toa1625 flaw1665 stun1676 quail1682 maul1694 moil1698 damnify1712 margullie1721 maul1782 buga1790 mux1806 queer1818 batter1840 puckeroo1840 rim-rack1841 pretty1868 garbage1899 savage1899 to do in1905 strafe1915 mash1924 blow1943 nuke1967 mung1969 1542 A. Borde Compend. Regyment Helth xi. sig. F.iv^v God may sende a man good meate, but the deuyll may sende an euyll coke to dystrue it. 1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde iii. v. f. 115^v Locustes whiche destrowe the fieldes of corne. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 136 With Blites destroy my Corn. View more context for this quotation 1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VII. 8 Shells assume every colour but blue; and that sea-water..would be apt to destroy. 1803 J. Forbes Let. 6 Sept. in Lett. from France (1806) II. xlvii. 60 The long drought and extreme heat have destroyed their vegetables. 4. To put out of existence (living beings); to deprive of life; to slay, kill.(Now chiefly said of war, pestilence, intemperance, etc., which destroy multitudes, also of the destruction of noxious animals, and of suicide (self-destruction).) ΘΚΠ the world > life > death > killing > kill [verb (transitive)] swevec725 quelmeOE slayc893 quelleOE of-falleOE ofslayeOE aquellc950 ayeteeOE spillc950 beliveOE to bring (also do) of (one's) life-dayOE fordoa1000 forfarea1000 asweveOE drepeOE forleseOE martyrOE to do (also i-do, draw) of lifeOE bringc1175 off-quellc1175 quenchc1175 forswelta1225 adeadc1225 to bring of daysc1225 to do to deathc1225 to draw (a person) to deathc1225 murder?c1225 aslayc1275 forferec1275 to lay to ground, to earth (Sc. at eird)c1275 martyrc1300 strangle1303 destroya1325 misdoa1325 killc1330 tailc1330 to take the life of (also fro)c1330 enda1340 to kill to (into, unto) death1362 brittena1375 deadc1374 to ding to deathc1380 mortifya1382 perisha1387 to dight to death1393 colea1400 fella1400 kill out (away, down, up)a1400 to slay up or downa1400 swelta1400 voida1400 deliverc1400 starvec1425 jugylc1440 morta1450 to bring to, on, or upon (one's) bierc1480 to put offc1485 to-slaya1500 to make away with1502 to put (a person or thing) to silencec1503 rida1513 to put downa1525 to hang out of the way1528 dispatch?1529 strikea1535 occidea1538 to firk to death, (out) of lifec1540 to fling to deathc1540 extinct1548 to make out of the way1551 to fet offa1556 to cut offc1565 to make away?1566 occise1575 spoil1578 senda1586 to put away1588 exanimate1593 unmortalize1593 speed1594 unlive1594 execute1597 dislive1598 extinguish1598 to lay along1599 to make hence1605 conclude1606 kill off1607 disanimate1609 feeze1609 to smite, stab in, under the fifth rib1611 to kill dead1615 transporta1616 spatch1616 to take off1619 mactate1623 to make meat of1632 to turn up1642 inanimate1647 pop1649 enecate1657 cadaverate1658 expedite1678 to make dog's meat of1679 to make mincemeat of1709 sluice1749 finisha1753 royna1770 still1778 do1780 deaden1807 deathifyc1810 to lay out1829 cool1833 to use up1833 puckeroo1840 to rub out1840 cadaverize1841 to put under the sod1847 suicide1852 outkill1860 to fix1875 to put under1879 corpse1884 stiffen1888 tip1891 to do away with1899 to take out1900 stretch1902 red-light1906 huff1919 to knock rotten1919 skittle1919 liquidate1924 clip1927 to set over1931 creasea1935 ice1941 lose1942 to put to sleep1942 zap1942 hit1955 to take down1967 wax1968 trash1973 ace1975 a1325 Prose Psalter li[i]. 5 Þer-for shal God destruen þe on ende. a1340 R. Rolle Psalter ix. 40 When antecrist is distroid all goed sall regne. c1385 G. Chaucer Legend Good Women Dido. 1318 These lordis..Wele me distroyen only for ȝoure sake. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 22133 First he sal do alle destru [Coll. Phys. destriu, Gött. distrou] þat halud was of ur lauerd iesu. 1473 J. Warkworth Chron. 20 The Bastarde..hade purposed to have distruyt Kynge Edwarde. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Bel & Dragon i. D I shal destroye this dragon without swearde or staff. a1547 in F. J. Furnivall Capt. Cox (1871) Pref. 130 Haue youe drunkune any contagius drynke to dystrowe your chyld. 1700 S. L. tr. C. Schweitzer Relation Voy. in tr. C. Frick & C. Schweitzer Relation Two Voy. E.-Indies 291 Rat-Catchers..destroy the Rats and Mice as much as any Cats would. 1712 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1889) III. 368 Of whose destroying himself I have made mention. 1726 W. R. Chetwood Voy. & Adventures Capt. R. Boyle 131 I was..going to destroy my self..in the height of my Despair. 1794 R. J. Sulivan View of Nature II. 252 A deluge in Friezeland covered the whole coasts, and destroyed the greatest part of the inhabitants. 1839 T. Beale Nat. Hist. Sperm Whale 160 Those young bulls..are perhaps the most difficult to destroy. 1887 C. Bowen tr. Virgil Æneid iii., in tr. Virgil in Eng. Verse 149 It had pleased the Immortals..to destroy Priam's innocent people. 5. a. To bring to nought, put an end to; to do away with, annihilate (any institution, condition, state, quality, or thing immaterial). ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > destroy [verb (transitive)] > bring to ruin or put an end to undoc950 shendOE forfarea1000 endc1000 to do awayOE aquenchc1175 slayc1175 slayc1175 stathea1200 tinea1300 to-spilla1300 batec1300 bleschea1325 honisha1325 leesea1325 wastec1325 stanch1338 corrumpa1340 destroy1340 to put awayc1350 dissolvec1374 supplanta1382 to-shend1382 aneantizec1384 avoidc1384 to put outa1398 beshenda1400 swelta1400 amortizec1405 distract1413 consumec1425 shelfc1425 abroge1427 downthringc1430 kill1435 poisonc1450 defeat1474 perish1509 to blow away1523 abrogatea1529 to prick (also turn, pitch) over the perka1529 dash?1529 to bring (also send) to (the) pot1531 put in the pot1531 wipea1538 extermine1539 fatec1540 peppera1550 disappoint1563 to put (also set) beside the saddle1563 to cut the throat of1565 to throw (also turn, etc.) over the perch1568 to make a hand of (also on, with)1569 demolish1570 to break the neck of1576 to make shipwreck of1577 spoil1578 to knock on (in) the head (also rarely at head)1579 cipher1589 ruinate1590 to cut off by the shins1592 shipwreck1599 exterminate1605 finish1611 damnify1612 ravel1614 braina1616 stagger1629 unrivet1630 consummate1634 pulverizea1640 baffle1649 devil1652 to blow up1660 feague1668 shatter1683 cook1708 to die away1748 to prove fatal (to)1759 to knock up1764 to knock (or kick) the hindsight out or off1834 to put the kibosh on1834 to cook (rarely do) one's goose1835 kibosh1841 to chaw up1843 cooper1851 to jack up1870 scuttle1888 to bugger up1891 jigger1895 torpedo1895 on the fritz1900 to put paid to1901 rot1908 down and out1916 scuppera1918 to put the skids under1918 stonker1919 liquidate1924 to screw up1933 cruel1934 to dig the grave of1934 pox1935 blow1936 to hit for six1937 to piss up1937 to dust off1938 zap1976 1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 4453 Þan sal he destroye cristen lawe. a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Prov. xxi. 22 [They] destroȝide [a1425 L.V. distriede] the strengthe of the trost of it. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 25239 Destru [Fairf. destroy, Gött. destruy] þou lauerd! wit pouste þin þe mightes o þis wiþerwin. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Job xiv. 18 So destroyest thou the hope of man. c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 13240 All hir note of Nigromansy naitly distroyet. 1623 J. Webster Dutchesse of Malfy iv. ii. sig. K4^v So pitty, would destroy pitty. 1714 S. Centlivre Wonder iv. 52 One tender Word destroys a Lover's Rage. 1752 S. Johnson Rambler No. 193. ⁋9 Every other enjoyment malice may destroy. 1833 L. Ritchie Wanderings by Loire 17 To wait..would destroy the little chance we appeared to have. 1841 R. W. Emerson Intellect in Ess. 1st Ser. (London ed.) 345 Silence is a solvent that destroys personality. 1893 Law Times 94 603/2 He..had been heard to express a determination to destroy his life. †b. Mathematics. To cancel, eliminate, cause to disappear. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > algebra > perform algebra [verb (transitive)] > eliminate quantity or simplify cancel1543 lessen1668 destroy1706 eliminate1736 exterminate1743 rationalize1816 1706 W. Jones Synopsis Palmariorum Matheseos 130 After the same manner any other Term in this..Equation may be destroyed. 1763 W. Emerson Method of Increments 123 2 series, where all the terms destroy one another except the first. c. Law. To nullify, invalidate, do away with. ΘΚΠ society > law > rule of law > illegality > render illegal [verb (transitive)] > deprive of legal validity abatea1325 squatcha1325 voida1325 allayc1325 annul1395 reverse1395 revokec1400 rupt?a1425 repealc1425 abroge1427 defeat1429 purloin1461 cassa1464 toll1467 resume1472 reprove1479 suspend1488 discharge1495 reduce1498 cassate1512 defease1512 denulla1513 disannula1513 fordoa1513 avoid1514–5 abrogate?1520 frustrate1528 revert1528 disaffirm?1530 extinct1530 resolve1537 null1538 nihilate1545 extinguish1548 elidec1554 revocate1564 annullate1570 squat1577 skaila1583 irritate1605 retex1606 nullify1607 unable1611 refix1621 vitiate1627 invalid1643 vacate1643 unlaw1644 outlaw1647 invalidate1649 disenact1651 vacuate1654 supersedec1674 destroy1805 break1891 1805 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. V. 172 A power collateral to the land..cannot be destroyed by a fine, levied [etc.]. 1818 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. (ed. 2) II. 353 A person who has only a trust estate, cannot..destroy a contingent remainder expectant on his estate. 1892 L. Goodeve Pers. Property (ed. 2) 361 The statutes above cited do not destroy the right. 6. To counteract or neutralize the effect of; to render of no avail. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > operation upon something > have effect on [verb (transitive)] > neutralize or counteract fordoc1175 counterpoisec1374 correct1578 countercheck1590 countervail1590 cancel1633 counterbalance1636 counterswaya1640 countermand1645 counter-influence1667 counteract1694 destroy1726 neutralizea1797 counterweigh1825 antagonize1833 mitigate1857 kill1858 1726 Bp. J. Butler 15 Serm. ix. 165 These contrary Passions..do not necessarily destroy each other. 1759 W. Hillary Observ. Changes Air & Dis. Barbados 181 If they are of opposite and contrary Natures, they must at best only destroy each other. 1772 J. Adams tr. A. de Ulloa Voy. S. Amer. (ed. 3) I. 61 The medicine has destroyed the malignity of the poison. 1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps ii. vi. 253 A red glass..is red because..it destroys the shorter waves which produce the other colours. †7. to destroy into or to (reproducing perdere in gehennam of Vulgate): to consign or give over to perdition in. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > reprobation > cause reprobation [verb (transitive)] to fordo into or toc950 fordeemc1000 damnc1325 to destroy into or toc1380 reprobatec1451 condemn1489 pretermit1608 Tartarize1675 Tartarus1856 c1380 J. Wyclif Wks. (1880) 265 It is grett meruaile þat god..distroieþ not alle þis cursed peple to helle. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. x. 28 Which is able to destroye both soule and body into hell. [So Coverd., Cranm., Rhemish; Wyclif lese in to; Geneva & 1611 in.] Derivatives destroyed adj. /dɪˈstrɔɪd/ despoiled; ravaged; slain; ruined; reduced to a useless condition. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > [adjective] > destroyed forwroughta1325 lorna1400 destroyedc1440 perishedc1440 shentc1440 defeatc1540 spiltc1540 dissolved?1541 interempt1561 baned1568 mischievedc1570 defeated1578 ruined1585 downcast1592 gone1598 collapsed1610 to take up for hawks' meat1612 naughta1616 blasted1747 wreckeda1821 butchered1839 fucked-up1863 kaput1895 piled-up1906 shambled1940 c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 123 Destroyyde, destructus, dissipatus. 1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 76 Being a Lady of faithfull memory to her destroyed husband. 1640 (title) England's Petition to their King; an Humble Petition of the distressed and almost destroyed subjects of England. 1818 G. S. Faber Horæ Mosaicæ (ed. 2) I. 82 The destroyed book of the Sibyl. 1822 P. B. Shelley Hellas 25 One cry from the destroy'd and the destroyer Rose. Draft additions 1993 To put (a sick or unwanted animal) to death deliberately and humanely. ΘΚΠ the world > life > death > killing > killing of animals > kill animal [verb (transitive)] > by specific method sticklOE worry1340 strikea1400 spaya1425 lipc1475 smeek1691 pith1805 whoo-whoop1812 halal1819 to bark1865 destroy1866 flight1892 lethalize1897 lethal1922 1866 J. Gamgee Cattle Plague i. 141 The only sure and certain way to annihilate this virus is to destroy the animals which by their sickness indicate its presence. 1911 Coal Mines Act 1 & 2 Geo. V c. 50 Sched. 3 §16 The owner, agent, or manager shall..furnish a statement showing the number of horses..during the year..required to be destroyed in consequence of injury or disease. 1936 F. Bullock Handbk. for Vet. Surgeons (ed. 3) iv. 188 If it becomes necessary to destroy a horse below ground, the ‘Exit’ Humane Horse Killer..must be used. 1958 M. Bishop It's Dog's Life xi. 131 The dog can always be destroyed later if you feel he's not enjoying life. 1976 New Yorker 8 Mar. 105/2 When he could no longer get up in his stall..he was destroyed. 1986 Financial Times 21 June 1/5 Mr Jopling said radiation levels were now falling and he did not anticipate any need for destroying animals. 1997 Guardian 24 May (Weekend Suppl.) 27/1 We only ever destroy animals if they are in severe pain, are sick, or exhibit anti-social behaviour, which means they are impossible to re-home. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1895; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.1616v.c1230
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† destroyn.

destroyv.

Derivatives

Draft additions 1993