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| Date: | 1300-1400 |
| Language: | Old French |
| Origin: | ruine, from Latin ruina |
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ruin2
1 [uncountable] a situation in which you have lost all your money, your social position, or the good opinion that people had about you :
be on the road to ruin (=be doing something that will make you lose your money, position etc)
2 [countable] also ruins the part of a building that is left after the rest has been destroyed : 
an interesting old ruinthe ruins of a bombed-out office block
an interesting old ruinthe ruins of a bombed-out office block3 the parts of something such as an organization, system, or set of ideas that remain after the rest have been destroyed : the ruins of a government that once held so much promise
the ruins of something
the ruins of a government that once held so much promise4
be/lie in ruins
a) TBB if a building is in ruins, it has fallen down or been badly damaged
b) if someone's life, a country's economy etc is in ruins, it is affected by very great problems : Her marriage was in ruins.
Her marriage was in ruins.5 if something goes to ruin, it gets damaged or destroyed because no one is taking care of it : He had let the farm go to ruin.
fall into ruin
also go to ruinHe had let the farm go to ruin.6 to make someone lose all their money, their good health, the good opinion that other people have of them etc : Drinking was the ruin of him.
be the ruin of somebody
Drinking was the ruin of him.