Ruin

How to spell ruin

4 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce ruin

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does ruin mean?

1. verbTo damage or spoil something so badly that it is no longer good, usable, or enjoyable.
2. nounThe state of total destruction or collapse, or the remains of something that has been destroyed.

Ruin in a sentence

• verb

  One careless email could ruin his professional reputation.

• noun

  The failed business left the owner facing financial ruin.

• verb

  Heavy rain threatened to ruin the outdoor wedding.

• noun

  Years of neglect had brought the old manor to ruin.

Where does ruin come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin ruina, meaning 'a collapse' or 'a headlong rush downward', which itself grew from the verb ruere, 'to fall', 'to rush', or 'to tumble down'. English borrowed it through Old French ruine during the late 1300s, originally describing the literal falling or collapse of a building. From that physical sense of stones tumbling down, the meaning broadened to cover financial collapse, the destruction of reputation, and the spoiling of anything once whole. The plural noun 'ruins', used for the surviving fragments of an ancient structure, keeps the oldest architectural idea alive. The spelling is simpler than the pronunciation suggests: the trap is the two clear vowels, the 'u' and the 'i', which writers sometimes blur or swap when the word is said quickly.

How the word is built

• ruin (from Latin ruina: a collapse, a falling down)
• English noun/verb use