ruin

head

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

ruina (feminine singular)
ruino (neuter singular)
ruinos (masculine plural)
ruines (feminine plural)


ruin

nl-noun

ruin m (plural ruinen, diminutive ruintje n)

ruinen (plural)
ruintje (diminutive neuter)

From Middle Dutch rûun. Cognate with Middle Low German rûne, Middle High German rūn. Further origin unknown; possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(H)rewH- (“to dig out, rip off”).


ruin

The Veian and the Gabian towirs shall fall, / And one promiscuous ruin cover all; / Nor, after length of years, a stone betray / The place where once the very ruins lay.

1705, J[oseph] Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

The labour of a day will not build up a virtuous habit on the ruins of an old and vicious character.

a. 1812, Joseph Stevens Buckminster, sermon:

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.

1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

Dr. Manuel: No one is saved. The age of humanity is ended. Soon, only ruin and corpses will remain.

2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Eden Prime:

(countable, sometimes in the plural) The remains of a destroyed or dilapidated construction, such as a house or castle.

The monastery has fallen into ruin.

(uncountable) The state of being a ruin, destroyed or decayed.

Gambling has been the ruin of many.

The errors of young men are the ruin of business.

1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Youth and Age”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:

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.

1920, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Avery Hopwood, chapter I, in The Bat: A Novel from the Play (Dell Book; 241), New York, N.Y.: Dell Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 01:

(uncountable) Something that leads to serious trouble or destruction.

His ruin startled th’ other steeds.

[1611?], Homer, “(please specify |book=I to XXIV)”, in Geo[rge] Chapman, transl., The Iliads of Homer Prince of Poets. […], London: […] Nathaniell Butter, →OCLC; republished as The Iliads of Homer, Prince of Poets, […], new edition, volume (please specify the book number), London: Charles Knight and Co., […], 1843, →OCLC:

the ruin of a ship or an army

the ruin of a constitution or a government

the ruin of health or hopes

Oh Portius, is there not some choſen Curſe,
Some hidden Thunder in the Stores of Heav’n,
Red with uncommon Wrath, to blaſt the Man
Who owes his Greatneſs to his Country’s Ruin?

1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 2:

Ruin seize thee, ruthless king!

A change that destroys or defeats something; destruction; overthrow.

(uncountable) Complete financial loss; bankruptcy.

en-noun

ruin (countable and uncountable, plural ruins)

xarabalıq

the state of being a ruin, destroyed or decayed

крах

something which leads to serious troubles

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


ruin

With all these purchases, you surely mean to ruin us!

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...

1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:

(transitive) To cause the fiscal ruin of; to bankrupt or drive out of business.

He ruined his new white slacks by accidentally spilling oil on them.

By the fireside there are old men seated, / Seeing ruined cities in the ashes.

1857, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Golden Mile-Stone:

To destroy or render something no longer usable or operable.

My car breaking down just as I was on the road ruined my vacation.

To upset or overturn the plans or progress of, or to have a disastrous effect on something.

I used to love that song, but being assaulted when that song was playing ruined the song for me.

To make something less enjoyable or likeable.

To reveal the ending of (a story); to spoil.

Though he his house of polisht marble build, / Yet shall it ruine like the Moth's fraile cell

1636, George Sandys, Paraphrase upon the Psalmes and upon the Hymnes dispersed throughout the Old and New Testaments:

(obsolete) To fall into a state of decay.

The young libertine was notorious for ruining local girls.

(transitive, historical) To seduce or debauch, and thus harm the social standing of.

en-verb

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

ruins (present singular third-person)
ruining (participle present)
ruined (participle past)
ruined (past)
ruint (dialectal nonstandard participle past)
ruint (dialectal nonstandard past)


ruin

ruin (often in plural form when referring to buildings)

ruinen (definite singular)
ruiner (indefinite plural)
ruinene (definite plural)


ruin

ruinen (definite singular)
ruinar (indefinite plural)
ruinane (definite plural)


ruin

un pequeño grupo de ovejas ruines e inútiles para la marcha

1881, Eduardo Acevedo Díaz, Ismael, section 46:

es-adj

ruin m or f (masculine and feminine plural ruines)

From an earlier *ruino, from ruina, or from a Vulgar Latin root *ruīnus, ultimately from Latin ruīna. Compare Portuguese ruim, Catalan roí. The lack of a final /-o/ may suggest a borrowing.


ruin

ruin (indefinite nominative singular)
ruins (genitive indefinite singular)
ruinen (definite nominative singular)
ruinens (definite genitive singular)
ruiner (indefinite nominative plural)
ruiners (genitive indefinite plural)
ruinerna (definite nominative plural)
ruinernas (definite genitive plural)


ruin

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *duRi (“thorn, splinter, fish bone”), akin to Agutaynen doli and Malay duri (“thorn”).