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DictionarywrackRuin
noun / verb

wrack

Destruction or its remains.

Without regular repairs, the old house goes to wrack and ruin.

Etymology
wrackMiddle Dutchwreckage

The source names wreckage or ruin. English preserves both destruction and the broken remnants left behind.

More examples

  • Volunteers search the wrack of the ship for salvageable equipment.
  • Powerful storms wrack the coast, destroying homes and docks.
  • The once-grand hotel has fallen into wrack and ruin.

Forms

wrack · wracks · wracked · wracking

Similar words

ruin
Emphasizes destruction or decay rather than the debris left behind.
wreckage
Specifically names broken remains rather than destruction itself.
destroy
More commonly describes making something unusable or beyond repair.