Destroyed

How to spell destroyed

9 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce destroyed

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does destroyed mean?

1. verbPast tense of destroy: to have ruined, demolished, or put an end to something completely.

Destroyed in a sentence

• The fire destroyed most of the warehouse before the crews arrived.

• Flooding destroyed the family photographs stored in the basement.

Where does destroyed come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is the past tense of 'destroy', which entered English in the 1200s from the Old French destruire. That French verb descended from the Latin destruere, formed from the prefix de-, meaning 'down' or 'reversal of', and struere, meaning 'to build' or 'pile up'. So at its literal heart the word means 'to un-build', to pull down what was constructed. The same struere root gives us 'structure', 'construct', and 'instruct', all kept together by the buried '-stru-' element. The modern '-oy' spelling reflects the Old French sound, while the regular '-ed' ending simply marks the past tense.

How the word is built

• de- (down, reverse)
• stroy (from Latin struere: to build, pile up)
• -ed (past tense suffix)