Etymograph

English

demolition

Demolition comes from Latin dēmōlītiō ‘a tearing down’, from mōlior ‘exert, undertake’, and ultimately from mōlēs ‘multitude, mass (of material)’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmōlēs1‘multitude, mass (of material)’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmōlior2‘exert, undertake’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēmōlior3‘to demolish, tear down’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēmōlītiō4‘a tearing down’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400demolition4
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1946demolition4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin molior
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin demolior
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin demolitio
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English demolition
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1946, and February, Notes and News: Demolition of Rhydyfelin Viaduct: “During the war, but unrecorded because of the requirements…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmōlēsWiktionary, Latin molior‘multitude, mass (of material)’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmōliorWiktionary, Latin demolior‘exert, undertake’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēmōliorWiktionary, Latin demolitio‘to demolish, tear down’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēmōlītiōWiktionary, English demolition‘a tearing down’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400demolitionWiktionary, English demolition
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1946demolitionWiktionary, English demolition. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1946, and February, Notes and News: Demolition of Rhydyfelin Viaduct: “During the war, but unrecorded because of the requirements…”

Formed from demolish + -ion

Latin mōlēs ‘multitude, mass (of material)’

Latin mōlior ‘exert, undertake’

Latin dēmōlior ‘to tear down’

English demolish

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *meh₃- ‘to exert’

amazing, maze, 6 more

through Latin mōlēs ‘multitude, mass (of material)’

molecule, molest, 6 more

Today it means

noun The process of demolishing or destroying buildings or other structures.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “demolition”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin molior, Latin demolior, Latin demolitio. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin mōlēs / demolition

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