Etymology : Middle English ruine, from Middle French, from Latin ruina, from ruere to rush headlong, fall, collapse
Pronunciation : rü-&n, -"in; rün
Function : noun
Date : 12th century
1. destruction; remains of a collapsed structure; downfall, collapse. destroy, demolish; spoil, mutilate, damage. ruin\ru"in\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. ruined ;p. pr. & vb. n. ruining.] [cf. f. ruiner, ll. ruinare. see:
ruin, n.] to bring to ruin; to cause to fall to pieces and decay; to make to perish; to bring to destruction; to bring to poverty or bankruptcy; to impair seriously; to damage essentially; to overthrow. this mortal house i'll ruin. by thee raised, i ruin all my foes. the eyes of other people are the eyes that ruin us. by the fireside there are old men seated, seeling ruined cities in the ashes.ruin \ru"in\ , n. [oe. ruine, f. ruine, fr. l. ruina, fr. ruere, rutum, to fall with violence, to rush or tumble down.].
2. the act of falling or tumbling down; fall. [obs.] "his ruin startled the other steeds.".
3. such a change of anything as destroys it, or entirely defeats its object, or unfits it for use; destruction; overthrow; as, the ruin of a ship or an army; the ruin of a constitution or a government; the ruin of health or hopes. "ruin seize thee, ruthless king!".
4. that which is fallen down and become worthless from injury or decay; as, his mind is a ruin; especially, in the plural, the remains of a destroyed, dilapidated, or desolate house, fortress, city, or the like. 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. the labor of a day will not build up a virtuous habit on the ruins of an old and vicious character.
5. the state of being dcayed, or of having become ruined or worthless; as, to be in ruins; to go to ruin.
6. that which promotes injury, decay, or destruction. the errors of young men are the ruin of business.
7. The act of falling or tumbling down; fall.
8. Such a change of anything as destroys it, or entirely defeats its object, or unfits it for use; destruction; overthrow; as, the ruin of a ship or an army; the ruin of a constitution or a government; the ruin of health or hopes.
9. That which is fallen down and become worthless from injury or decay; as, his mind is a ruin; especially, in the plural, the remains of a destroyed, dilapidated, or desolate house, fortress, city, or the like.
10. The state of being dcayed, or of having become ruined or worthless; as, to be in ruins; to go to ruin.
11. That which promotes injury, decay, or destruction.
12. To bring to ruin; to cause to fall to pieces and decay; to make to perish; to bring to destruction; to bring to poverty or bankruptcy; to impair seriously; to damage essentially; to overthrow.
13. To fall to ruins; to go to ruin; to become decayed or dilapidated; to perish. a ruined building; "they explored several Roman ruins" an event that results in destruction an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction; "you have brought ruin on this entire family" fall into ruin reduce to ruins; "The country lay ruined after the war" destroy or cause to fail; "This behavior will ruin your chances of winning the election".
14. 1. To ruin something means to severely harm, damage, or spoil it. My wife was ruining her health through worry.
15. To ruin someone means to cause them to no longer have any money. She accused him of ruining her financially with his taste for the high life.
16. Ruin is the state of no longer having any money. The farmers say recent inflation has driven them to the brink of ruin.
17. Ruin is the state of being severely damaged or spoiled, or the process of reaching this state. The vineyards were falling into ruin.
18. The ruins of something are the parts of it that remain after it has been severely damaged or weakened. The new Turkish republic he helped to build emerged from the ruins of a great empire.
19. The ruins of a building are the parts of it that remain after the rest has fallen down or been destroyed. One dead child was found in the ruins almost two hours after the explosion see also:
ruined.
20. If something is in ruins, it is completely spoiled. Its heavily-subsidized economy is in ruins.
21. If a building or place is in ruins, most of it has been destroyed and only parts of it remain. The abbey was in ruins.