ruin

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See also: Ruin, rùin, and rúin

English

Ruins at Delphi in Greece

Etymology

From Middle English ruyne, ruine, from Old French ruine, from Latin ruīna (“overthrow, ruin”), from ruō (“I fall down, tumble, sink in ruin, rush”).

Pronunciation

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  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -uːɪn

Noun

ruin (countable and uncountable, plural ruins)

  1. (countable, sometimes in the plural) The remains of a destroyed or dilapidated construction, such as a house or castle.
    • (Can we date this quote by Joseph Addison and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      The Veian and the Gabian towers shall fall, / And one promiscuous ruin cover all; / Nor, after length of years, a stone betray / The place where once the very ruins lay.
    • (Can we date this quote by Joseph Stevens Buckminster and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      The labour of a day will not build up a virtuous habit on the ruins of an old and vicious character.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess‎[1]:
      A canister of flour from the kitchen had been thrown at the looking-glass and lay like trampled snow over the remains of a decent blue suit with the lining ripped out which lay on top of the ruin of a plastic wardrobe.
  2. (uncountable) The state of being a ruin, destroyed or decayed.
    The monastery has fallen into ruin.
  3. (uncountable) Something that leads to serious trouble or destruction.
    Gambling has been the ruin of many.
    • (Can we date this quote by Francis Bacon and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      The errors of young men are the ruin of business.
    • Template:RQ:RnhrtHpwd Bat
      The Bat—they called him the Bat. […]. He […] played a lone hand, […]. Most lone wolves had a moll at any rate—women were their ruin—but if the Bat had a moll, not even the grapevine telegraph could locate her.
  4. (obsolete) A fall or tumble.
    • (Can we date this quote by George Chapman and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      His ruin startled the other steeds.
  5. A change that destroys or defeats something; destruction; overthrow.
    the ruin of a ship or an army;  the ruin of a constitution or a government;  the ruin of health or hopes
    • (Can we date this quote by Thomas Gray and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      Ruin seize thee, ruthless king!
  6. (uncountable) Complete financial loss; bankruptcy.

Translations

Verb

ruin (third-person singular simple present ruins, present participle ruining, simple past and past participle ruined)

  1. (transitive) to cause the fiscal ruin of.
    With all these purchases, you surely mean to ruin us!
    • 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island
      In one way, indeed, he bade fair to ruin us; for he kept on staying week after week, and at last month after month, so that all the money had been long exhausted...
  2. To destroy or make something no longer usable.
    He ruined his new white slacks by accidentally spilling oil on them.
    • (Can we date this quote by Longfellow and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      By the fireside there are old men seated, / Seeling ruined cities in the ashes.
  3. To cause severe financial loss to; to bankrupt or drive out of business.
    The crooked stockbroker's fraudulent scheme ruined dozens of victims; some investors lost their life savings and even their houses.
  4. To upset or overturn the plans or progress of, or to put into disarray; to spoil.
    My car breaking down just as I was on the road ruined my vacation.
  5. To reveal the ending of (a story); to spoil.
  6. (obsolete) To fall into a state of decay.
    • (Can we date this quote by Sandys and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      Though he his house of polisht marble build, / Yet shall it ruine like the Moth's fraile cell
  7. (transitive, historical) To seduce or debauch, and thus harm the social standing of.
    The young libertine was notorious for ruining local girls.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related terms

Translations

to ruin — see wreck

Further reading

Asturian

Adjective

ruin m sg (feminine singular ruina, neuter singular ruino, masculine plural ruinos, feminine plural ruines)

  1. weedy

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch ruun. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

Noun

ruin m (plural ruinen, diminutive ruintje n)

  1. gelding

See also

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin ruina

Noun

ruin m (definite singular ruinen, indefinite plural ruiner, definite plural ruinene)

  1. ruin (often in plural form when referring to buildings)

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin ruina

Noun

ruin m (definite singular ruinen, indefinite plural ruinar, definite plural ruinane)

  1. ruin (often in plural form when referring to buildings)

References

Spanish

Etymology

From an earlier *ruino, from ruina, or from a Vulgar Latin root *ruīnus, ultimately from Latin ruīna. Compare Portuguese ruim, Catalan roí.

Pronunciation

Adjective

ruin m or f (masculine and feminine plural ruines)

  1. contemptible, mean, heartless
  2. mean, stingy
  3. wild; unruly
  4. rachitic

Synonyms

Swedish

Noun

ruin c

  1. a ruin (remains of a building)
  2. ruin (financial bankruptcy)

Declension

Declension of ruin 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative ruin ruinen ruiner ruinerna
Genitive ruins ruinens ruiners ruinernas

Related terms

Anagrams

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