English
destruction
Destruction comes from Middle English destruccioun, from Old French destrucion, from Latin dēstrūctiō, from dēstruō ‘to destroy’, ultimately from PIE *strew- ‘to spread’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strew-1‘to strew, spread out’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stréweti1reconstructedderived within Proto-Indo-European
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*strowō1‘to pile up’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstruō2‘to build, put together’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēstruō3‘to destroy, ruin’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēstrūctiō4as dēstructiō‘destruction, demolition’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400destrucion4
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500destruccioun4
- Englishearliest quotation 1838destruction4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin struo
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin destruo
- 3 Wiktionary, Latin destructio
- 4 Wiktionary, English destruction
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1838, Abraham Lincoln, Springfield: “If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strew-Wiktionary, Latin struo‘to strew, spread out’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stréwetiWiktionary, Latin struoreconstructedderived within Proto-Indo-European
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*strowōWiktionary, Latin struo‘to pile up’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstruōWiktionary, Latin destruo‘to build, put together’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēstruōWiktionary, Latin destructio‘to destroy, ruin’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēstrūctiōWiktionary, English destructionas dēstructiō‘destruction, demolition’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400destrucionWiktionary, English destruction
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500destrucciounWiktionary, English destruction
- Englishearliest quotation 1838destructionWiktionary, English destruction. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1838, Abraham Lincoln, Springfield: “If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *strew- ‘to strew, to spread out’
strain, straw, stray, constructive, obstruction, obstruct, perestroika, stripling, misconstrue, 10 more
through Proto-Italic *strowō ‘to pile up’
through Latin struō ‘put together’
structure, construction, instrument, instructor, construct, destroyer, instruct, construe, 5 more
Today it means
noun The act of destroying.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “destruction”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin struo, Latin destruo, Latin destructio. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *strew- / destruction