demolition

From Old French demolition, from Latin dēmōlītiō (“a tearing down”).

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˌdɛm.əˈlɪʃ.ən/, [ˌdɛm.əˈlɪʃ.n̩]

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demolition (countable and uncountable, plural demolitions)

1. The process of demolishing or destroying buildings or other structures.
   • 1946 January and February, “Notes and News: Demolition of Rhydyfelin Viaduct”, in Railway Magazine, page 52:

     During the war, but unrecorded because of the requirements of censorship, a link with the now partly-abandoned Cardiff Railway disappeared with the demolition of Rhydyfelin Viaduct, near Treforest, South Wales, in the latter part of 1942. The steelwork in this structure, amounting to nearly 1,150 tons, was salvaged as scrap metal to assist the war effort.

   • 1955 December, “Notes and News: Women Delay Railway Demolition”, in Railway Magazine, page 878:

     At Kiwi, 40 miles from Nelson [New Zealand], eight women installed themselves in the goods shed, taking with them their knitting, and a supply of food and magazines. The demolition crew was unable to pull the building down without injuring them.

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