词源 |
ruination n."act of bringing to ruin, state of being brought to ruin," 1660s, noun of action or state from the now rare or obsolete verb ruinate "to go to ruin" (1540s), which is from Medieval Latin ruinatus, past participle of ruinare, from Latin ruina (see ruin (n.)). ruination is not, like flirtation, floatation, & botheration, a hybrid derivative, being regularly formed from ruinate ; but it now has the effect of a slangy emphatic lengthening of the noun ruin ; this is only because the parent verb ruinate, which was common in serious use 1550-1700, is no longer heard ; but the result is that ruination is better avoided except in facetious contexts. [Fowler, 1926] updated on November 26, 2021 |