destruct

English

Etymology

Originally a learned borrowing from Latin dēstrūct-, the perfect passive participial stem of dēstruō (“to destroy”).[1] In modern use, probably in part a back-formation from destruction.[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /dɪˈstɹʌkt/
    • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ʌkt

Verb

destruct (third-person singular simple present destructs, present participle destructing, simple past and past participle destructed)

  1. (transitive, now nonstandard) To intentionally cause the destruction of.
    Synonym: destroy
    • a. 1639, Ioseph Mede, “How This Conflagration of the World, whereof S. Peter Speaks, and Especially of the Heavens, Is to Be Understood”, in A Paraphrase and Exposition of the Prophesie of Saint Peter, Concerning the Day of Christs Second Comming; […], London: […] R[ichard] Bishop, for Samuel Man, […], published 1642, →OCLC, pages 12–13:
      Now the world which periſhed by water was no other than the ſublunary world; the Heaven whereof is that which we call Ayre, but the Scripture Heaven, which ſublunary heaven, together with the earth, was marred by that generall deluge; and the creatures belonging to them both either wholly deſtructed, or marvellouſly corrupted from that they were before: […]
  2. (transitive, programming) To invoke the destructor of.
  3. (intransitive) To self-destruct.

Derived terms

Translations

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 “destruct, v.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
This page is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.