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Added 9 October 2026

destroyer

/dəˈstɹɔɪ.ɚ/ noun

In Latin: dēlētor, dēlētrix Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about destroyer at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A small fast lightly armored but heavily armed warship.
A person who destroys or ruins or lays waste to.
a destroyer of the environment

Origin

Inherited from Middle English destroyour, destroyere; By surface analysis, destroy + -er. Designating a warship, it is ellipsis of torpedo-boat destroyer, the longer term appearing at the end of the 19th century and the shorter form early in the 20th.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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