démolition

demolition, destruction

noun deh-moh-lee-SYOHN Rare

Origin: From Latin 'demolitio', from 'demoliri' (to tear down).

Usage Note

Démolition applies to the physical tearing down of buildings as well as the figurative destruction of an argument or a reputation. En cours de démolition ('under demolition') is a common notice on construction sites. The verb is démolir and a person who does this work is a démolisseur.

Examples

"La démolition du vieux bâtiment a duré trois jours."

Natural Translation

The demolition of the old building took three days.

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