destruct

destruct
destruct (v.) "to destroy," 1958, probably a back formation from DESTRUCTION (Cf. destruction) in the jargon of U.S. aerospace and defense workers to refer to deliberate destruction of a missile in flight by a friendly agent; popularized 1966 in form self-destruct in the voice-over at the beginning of popular TV spy drama "Mission Impossible." OED records an isolated use of destruct from 17c., in this case probably from L. destruct-, pp. stem of destruere.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • destruct — 1. This is a back formation from destruction, formed as a specific alternative to destroy to denote a calculated action, originally with reference to malfunctioning space missiles, then in other military or related contexts, and later in… …   Modern English usage

  • Destruct — De*struct , v. t. [L. destructus, p. p. of destruere. See {Destroy}.] To destroy. [Obs.] Mede. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • destruct — index destroy (efface) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • destruct — ► VERB ▪ cause the destruction of. DERIVATIVES destructor noun …   English terms dictionary

  • destruct — ☆ destruct [di strukt′, dē′strukt΄ ] n. [back form. < DESTRUCTION] the deliberate destruction of a malfunctioning missile, rocket, etc. after its launch vi. to be automatically destroyed vt. to destroy (a rocket, etc.) deliberately by remote… …   English World dictionary

  • destruct — /di strukt /, adj. 1. serving or designed to destroy: a destruct mechanism on a missile. n. 2. the act or process of intentional destruction: One out of ten launchings ended in destructs. v.t. 3. to destroy. v.i. 4. to be destroyed. [1630 40;… …   Universalium

  • destruct — verb a) To intentionally cause the destruction of. b) To self destruct …   Wiktionary

  • destruct — de•struct [[t]dɪˈstrʌkt[/t]] 1) the act or process of intentional destruction, as of a rocket or missile 2) to destroy 3) cvb to self destruct • Etymology: 1955–60; back formation from destruction de•struc′tor, n …   From formal English to slang

  • destruct — (Roget s Thesaurus II) verb Aerospace. To pull down or break up so that reconstruction is impossible: demolish, destroy, dismantle, dynamite, knock down, level, pull down, pulverize, raze, tear down, wreck. See HELP …   English dictionary for students

  • destruct — de·struct || dɪ strÊŒkt n. destruction; intentional destruction through the explosion of missiles or rockets v. destroy, annihilate, ruin adj. serving to destroy or ruin …   English contemporary dictionary

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