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"destruction" in seven languages

Meaningdestruction

Spanish

destrucción

/destɾukˈθjon/

fem.learned

French

destruction

/dɛstʁyksjɔ̃/

fem.learned

Italian

distruzione

/distrutˈtsjone/

fem.learned

Italian swaps the prefix de- for dis-, as in distruggere.

Portuguese

destruição

/dʒistɾujˈsɐ̃w/

fem.learned

Romanian

distrugere

/disˈtrudʒere/

fem.learned

The everyday noun is built on the verb distruge; learned distrucție also exists.

Catalan

destrucció

/dəstɾukˈsjo/

fem.learned

English

destruction

/dɪˈstɹʌkʃən/

from Latin/French · Old French destruction

English → ItaliandestructiondistruzioneCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

DĒSTRUCTIŌNEM‘a pulling down’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

DĒSTRUERE meant 'to un-build' (STRUERE 'to pile up', as in structure). The nouns are learned in all four languages; the verbs destruir, détruire, distruggere are older and more worn.

English relatives: destroy, structure, construct, instruct

Sound laws at work

-TIŌNEM: learned -ción, inherited -zón

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In a sentence

  • esLa tormenta causó una gran destrucción.
  • frLa tempête a causé d'importantes destructions.
  • itLa tempesta ha causato una grande distruzione.
  • ptA tempestade causou uma grande destruição.
  • roFurtuna a provocat distrugeri mari.
  • caLa tempesta va causar una gran destrucció.
  • enThe storm caused great destruction.

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