“destroy” in Latin

perdere (to destroy, to ruin): destruere (to destroy an artificial structure; also alicujus fortunam: tyrannidem): demoliri (to destroy a firm, solid structure, tectum; partem muri). (The words are found in this connection and order.) destruere et demoliri: disjicere (to destroy by violent separation of its parts; e.g., arcem, moenia, munitiones): dissipare (nearly = disjicere, especially in Cic., who does not use disjicere. statuam, Cic., ; turres, Vitr.; rem familiarem, Cic.; reliquias reipublieae, Cic.): disturbare (to separate violently, and so disarrange the parts, etc., ; e.g., tecta, opera, porticum). (The words are found in this connection and order.) disturbare et dissipare (Cic.): diruere (e.g. tecta, muros, urbem, monumentum): evertere (to overthrow; throw down; PROP., urbem, statuam; IMPROP., rempublicam, virtutem, amicitiam): excidere (to destroy by cutting or hewing; not necessarily implying total destruction, urbem, vicos, agrum, exercitum): (The words are found in this connection and order.) excidere et evertere: exscindere (to destroy utterly; especially of cities, urbes, Numantiam, Cic., Mil., 33, 90; 6 Rep., 11; Planc., 41, 97; 4, Phil., 5, 13. Scheller and even Freund maintain, erroneously, that it is poetical and post- classical; Vid: Krebs): vastare locum: vastitatem inferre loco (to lay waste, urbem, urbi): pervertere (to quite overthrow, spem, consilia; domum, tecta, arbusta, defensionem; also aliquem; all Cic.): concidere (to cut to pieces; e.g., hostes, also to destroy utterly, naves, Liv.; auctoritatem Senatus; aliquem): tollere (remove out of the way): rescindere: interscindere: dissolvere: interrumpere (all, e.g., a bridge, pontem): delere (destroy utterly; blot out, urbem, omnia, haec, sepulcrum, aedificium, religionem): exstinguere (to put out a light; figuratively to deprive of its power and existence; e.g., potentiam, spem, vitae societatem, alicujus salutem). (The words are found in this connection and order.) exstinguere et (funditus) delere: perimere et delere: conficere (to put an end to anything): subvertere (subvert, imperium; leges et libertatem): consumere (e.g., aedes incendio: exercitum fame; opes, fortunas, etc.; by anything, aliqua re e.g., ferro, flamma). To destroy utterly, funditus destruere; a or e fundamentis disjicere; funditus (PROP.) evertere (PROP.); ab stirpe exstinguere; stirpitus or radicitus extrahere; tollere atque extrahere radicitus (to root up, IMPROP.; e.g., desires); exstinguere et funditus delere; perimere et delere omnino (annihilate): perimere: interficere (to destroy life = kill): to destroy (= kill) a whole body, ad internecionem delere, redigere, adducere, caedere; occidione caedere or occidere (especially with the sword; enemies): the intention of destroying, etc., consilium evertere, tollere, etc. (so Nep., consilium Lysander iniit reges tollere): fire destroys everything, ignis cuncta disturbat et dissipat: there is nothing that time does not destroy, nihil est, quod non conficiat vetustas: to destroy all anybody’s plans, alicui conturbare omnes rationes or omnia consilia pervertere: to destroy plans, consilia disjicere, frangere and (Velleius) corrumpere: to destroy hope, spem exstinguere (Cic.); spes corrumpere: it is a sad thing to see all one’s last hope destroyed, miserum est nee habere ne spei quidem extremum. The Nervii, when they saw this hope destroyed, Nervii hac spe lapsi or dejecti, de hac spe depulsi, ab hac spe repulsi, etc. To be utterly destroyed, interire: funditus or ab stirpe interire: concidere (e.g., auctoritas senatus; fides publica, public credit, etc.): exscindi (of towns): deleri, etc.: consumi totumque deleri: ad internecionem venire; ad internecionem perire (to be utterly cut off; perire by a pestilence, etc.): the soul and all sensation is destroyed by death, animi hominum sensusque morte restinguuntur (Cic.).

To destroy one’s self, mortem or necem sibi consciscere; manus sibi inferre. ☞ Interficere se is not wrong; Sulpic. ap. Cic., Ep., se ipsum interfecisse; and Cic., 3, Orat., 3, 10, Crassum suapte manu interfectum; Liv., 31, 18, 7, seque ipsi interficiunt. Vid: to commit SUICIDE.