destroyour

Middle English

Alternative forms

• destroiour, destroyere, distruyere
• destrier, destroyer, destruer, destruyer, distriere, distroer, distroier, distroyer, distruour, dystroyour (Late Middle English)
• dystroyare (Promptorium Parvulorum)

Etymology

Initially borrowed from Anglo-Norman destruieur, destruour (“destroyer”), but later reanalysed as destroyen (“to destroy, ruin”) +‎ -ere (agent noun suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɛːˈstrui̯ər(ə)/, /dɛːˈstriu̯ər(ə)/, /dɛːˈstriːər(ə)/, /di-/

Noun

destroyour (plural destroyours)

1. A despoiler or devastator; one who destroys or plunders (goods, peace)
2. An eliminator or purger (mostly of abstract values)

Descendants

• English: destroyer
• Middle Scots: distroyar
  • Scots: destroyer

References

• “dē̆stroier(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.