Ruin [ RU'IN, n. [L. ruo, to fall, to rush down.]1. Destruction; fall; ... ] :: Search the 1828 Noah Webster's Dictionary of the English Language (FREE)

RU'IN, n. [L. ruo, to fall, to rush down.]

1. Destruction; fall; overthrow; defeat; that change of any thing which destroys it, or entirely defeats its object, or unfits it for use; as the ruin of a house; the ruin of a ship or an army; the ruin of a constitution of government; the ruin of health; the ruin of commerce; the ruin of public or private happiness; the ruin of a project.

2. Mischief; bane; that which destroys.

The errors of young men are the ruin of business.

3. Ruin, more generally ruins, the remains of a decayed or demolished city, house, fortress, or any work of art or other thing; as the ruins of Balbec, Palmyra or Persepolis; the ruins of a wall; a castle in ruins.

The labor of a day will not build up a virtuous habit on the ruins of an old and vicious character.

4. The decayed or enfeebled remains of a natural object; as, the venerable old man presents a great mind in ruins.

5. The cause of destruction.

They were the ruin of him and of all Israel. 2Chron. 28.

RU'IN, v,t,

1. To demolish; to pull down, burn, or otherwise destroy; as, to ruin a city or an edifice.

2. To subvert; to destroy; as, to ruin a state or government.

3. To destroy; to bring to an end; as, to ruin commerce or manufactures.

4. To destroy in any manner; as, to ruin health or happiness; to ruin reputation.

5. To counteract; to defeat; as, to ruin a plan or project.

6. To deprive of felicity or fortune.

By thee rais'd I ruin all my foes.

Grace with a nod, and ruin with a frown.

7. To impoverish; as, to be ruined by speculation.

The eyes of other people are the eyes that ruin us.

8. To bring to everlasting misery; as, to ruin the soul.

RU'IN, v.i.

1. To fall into ruins.

2. To run to ruin; to fall into decay or be dilapidated.

Though he his house of polish'd marble build, yet shall it ruin like the moth's frail cell.

3. To be reduced; to be brought to poverty or misery.

If we are idle, and disturb the industrious in their business, we shall ruin the faster.

[Note. This intransitive use of the verb is now unusual.]

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RU'IN, n. [L. ruo, to fall, to rush down.]

2. Mischief; bane; that which destroys.

The errors of young men are the ruin of business.

The labor of a day will not build up a virtuous habit on the ruins of an old and vicious character.

4. The decayed or enfeebled remains of a natural object; as, the venerable old man presents a great mind in ruins.

5. The cause of destruction.

They were the ruin of him and of all Israel. 2Chron. 28.

RU'IN, v,t,

1. To demolish; to pull down, burn, or otherwise destroy; as, to ruin a city or an edifice.

2. To subvert; to destroy; as, to ruin a state or government.

3. To destroy; to bring to an end; as, to ruin commerce or manufactures.

4. To destroy in any manner; as, to ruin health or happiness; to ruin reputation.

5. To counteract; to defeat; as, to ruin a plan or project.

6. To deprive of felicity or fortune.

By thee rais'd I ruin all my foes.

Grace with a nod, and ruin with a frown.

7. To impoverish; as, to be ruined by speculation.

The eyes of other people are the eyes that ruin us.

8. To bring to everlasting misery; as, to ruin the soul.

RU'IN, v.i.

1. To fall into ruins.

2. To run to ruin; to fall into decay or be dilapidated.

Though he his house of polish'd marble build, yet shall it ruin like the moth's frail cell.

3. To be reduced; to be brought to poverty or misery.

If we are idle, and disturb the industrious in their business, we shall ruin the faster.

[Note. This intransitive use of the verb is now unusual.]

RU'IN, n. [Fr. ruine, from L. and Sp. ruina; It. ruina and rovina; from L. ruo, to fall, to rush down; W. rhewin, a sudden glide, slip or fall, ruin; rhew, something slippery or smooth, ice, frost; rheu, to move or be active; rhêb, a running off; rhêbyz, a destroyer. Perhaps the latter words are of a different family.]

Destruction; fall; overthrow; defeat; that change of any thing which destroys it, or entirely defeats its object, or unfits it for use; as, the ruin of a house; the ruin of a ship or an army; the ruin of a constitution of government; the ruin of health; the ruin of commerce; the ruin of public or private happiness; the ruin of a project.
Mischief; bane; that which destroys. The errors of young men are the ruin of business. – Bacon.
Ruin, more generally ruins, the remains of a decayed or demolished city, house, fortress, or any work of art or other thing; as, the ruins of Balbec, Palmyra or Persepolis; the ruins of a wall; a castle in ruins. The labor of a day will not build up a virtuous habit on the ruins of an old and vicious character. – Buckminster.
The decayed or enfeebled remains of a natural object; as, the venerable old man presents a great mind in ruins.
The cause of destruction. They were the ruin of him and of all Israel. – 2 Chron. xxviii.

RU'IN, v.i.

To fall into ruins. Milton.
To run to ruin; to fall into decay or be dilapidated. Though he his house of polish'd marble build, / Yet shall it ruin like the moth's frail cell. Sandys.
To be reduced; to be brought to poverty or misery. If we are idle, and disturb the industrious in their business, we shall ruin the faster. Locke. Note. This intransitive use of the verb is now unusual.

RU'IN, v.t. [Fr. ruiner.]

To demolish; to pull down, burn, or otherwise destroy; as, to ruin a city or an edifice.
To subvert; to destroy; as, to ruin a state or government.
To destroy; to bring to an end; as, to ruin commerce or manufactures.
To destroy in any manner; as, to ruin health or happiness; to ruin reputation.
To counteract; to defeat; as, to ruin a plan or project.
To deprive of felicity or fortune. By thee rais'd I ruin all my foes. Milton. Grace with a nod, and ruin with a frown. Dryden.
To impoverish; as, to be ruined by speculation. The eyes of other people are the eyes that ruin us. Franklin.
To bring to everlasting misery; as, to ruin the soul.

Ru"in

The act of falling or tumbling down; fall.

[Obs.] "His ruin startled the other steeds." Chapman.
To bring to ruin] to cause to fall to pieces and decay; to make to perish; to bring to destruction; to bring to poverty or bankruptcy; to impair seriously; to damage essentially; to overthrow.

this mortal house I'll ruin. Shak.
By thee raised, I ruin all my foes. Milton.

The eyes of other people are the eyes that ruin us. Franklin.

By the fireside there are old men seated,
Seeling ruined cities in the ashes. Longfellow.
To fall to ruins; to go to ruin; to become decayed or dilapidated; to perish.

[R.]
Though he his house of polished marble build,
Yet shall it ruin like the moth's frail cell. Sandys.

If we are idle, and disturb the industrious in their business, we shall ruin the faster. Locke.
Such a change of anything as destroys it, or entirely defeats its object, or unfits it for use; destruction; overthrow; as, the ruin of a ship or an army; the ruin of a constitution or a government; the ruin of health or hopes.

"Ruin seize thee, ruthless king!" Gray.
That which is fallen down and become worthless from injury or decay; as, his mind is a ruin; especially, in the plural, the remains of a destroyed, dilapidated, or desolate house, fortress, city, or the like.

The Veian and the Gabian towers shall fall,
And one promiscuous ruin cover all;
Nor, after length of years, a stone betray
The place where once the very ruins lay. Addison.
The labor of a day will not build up a virtuous habit on the ruins of an old and vicious character. Buckminster.
The state of being dcayed, or of having become ruined or worthless; as, to be in ruins; to go to ruin.
That which promotes injury, decay, or destruction.

The errors of young men are the ruin of business. Bacon.
Syn. -- Destruction; downfall; perdition; fall; overthrow; subversion; defeat; bane; pest; mischief.

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make

MAKE, v.t. pret. and pp. made.

1. To compel; to constrain.

They should be made to rise at an early hour.

2. To form of materials; to fashion; to mold into shape; to cause to exist in a different form, or as a distinct thing.

He fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf. Ex.32.

God not only made, but created; not only made the work, but the materials.

3. To create; to cause to exist; to form from nothing. God made the materials of the earth and of all worlds.

4. To compose; to constitute as parts, materials or ingredients united in a whole. These several sums make the whole amount.

The heaven, the air, the earth, and boundless sea,

Make but one temple for the deity.

5. To form by art.

And art with her contending, doth aspire

T'excel the natural with made delights.

6. To produce or effect, as the agent.

Call for Sampson, that he may make us sport. Judges.16.

7. To produce, as the cause; to procure; to obtain. Good tillage is necessary to make good crops.

Wealth maketh many friends. Prov.19.

8. To do; to perform; to execute; as, to make a journey; to make a long voyage.

9. To cause to have any quality, as by change or alteration. Wealth may make a man proud; beauty may make a woman vain; a due sense of human weakness should make us humble.

10. To bring into any state or condition; to constitute.

See I have made thee a god to Pharaoh. Ex.7.

Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Ex.2.

11. To contract; to establish; as, to make friendship.

12. To keep; as, to make abode.

13. To raise to good fortune; to secure in riches or happiness; as when it is said, he is made for this world.

Who makes or ruins with a smile or frown.

14. To suffer.

He accuses Neptune unjustly, who makes shipwreck a second time.

15. To incur; as, to make a loss. [Improper.]

16. To commit; to do.

I will neither plead my age nor sickness in excuse of the faults which I made. [Little used.]

17. To intend or to do; to purpose to do.

Gomez, what mak'st thou here, with a whole brotherhood of city bailiffs? [Not used.]

We now say, what doest thou here?

18. To raise, as, profit; to gain; to collect; as, to make money in trade or by husbandry; to make an estate by steady industry.

19. To discover; to arrive in sight of; a seaman's phrase, They made the land at nine o'clock on the larboard bow,distant five leagues.

20. To reach; to arrive at; as, to make a port or harbor; a seaman's phrase.

21. To gain by advance; as, to make little way with a head wind; we made our way to the next village. This phrase often implies difficulty.

22. To provide; as, to make a dinner or entertainment.

23. To put or place; as, to make a difference between strict right and expedience.

24. To turn; to convert, as to use.

Whate'er they catch,

Their fury makes an instrument of war.

25. To represent. He is not the fool you make him, that is, as your representation exhibits him.

26. To constitute; to form. It is melancholy to think that sensual pleasure makes the happiness of a great part of mankind.

27. To induce; to cause. Self-confidence makes a man rely too much on his own strength and resources.

28. To put into a suitable or regular form for use; as, to make a bed.

29. To fabricate; to forge. He made the story himself.

30. To compose; to form and write; as, to make verses or an oration.

31. To cure; to dry and prepare for preservation; as, to make hay.

To make amends, to make good; to give adequate compensation; to replace the value or amount of loss.

To make account of, to esteem; to regard.

To make away, to kill; to destroy.

1. To make free with, to treat with freedom; to treat without ceremony.make good, to maintain, to defend.

I'll either die, or I'll make good the place.

1. To fulfill; to accomplish; as, to make good one's word, promise or engagement.

2. To make compensation for; to supply an equivalent; as, to make good a loss or damage.

To make light of, to consider as of no consequence; to treat with indifference or contempt.

They made light of it, and went their way. Matt.22.

To make love,

To make suit, to court; to attempt to gain the favor or affection.

To make merry, to feast; to be joyful or jovial.

To make much of, to treat with fondness or esteem; to consider as of great value, or as giving great pleasure.

To make of, to understand. He knows not what to make of the news, that is, he does not well understand it; he knows not how to consider or view it.

1. To produce from; to effect.

I am astonished that those who have appeared against this paper, have made so very little of it.

2. To consider; to account; to esteem.

Makes she no more of me than of a slave?

To make over, to transfer the title of; to convey; to alienate. He made over his estate in trust or in fee.

To make out, to learn; to discover; to obtain a clear understanding of. I cannot make out the meaning or sense of this difficult passage. Antiquaries are not able to make out the inscription on this medal.

1. To prove; to evince; to establish by evidence or argument. The plaintiff, not being able to make out his case, withdrew the suit.

In the passages from divines, most of the reasonings which make out both my propositions are already suggested.

2. To furnish; to find or supply. He promised to pay, but was not able to make out the money or the whole sum.

To make sure of, to consider as certain.

1. To secure to one's possession; as, to make sure of the game.

To make up, to collect into a sum or mass; as, to make up the amount of rent; to make up a bundle or package.

1. To reconcile; to compose; as, to make up a difference or quarrel.

2. To repair; as, to make up a hedge. Ezek. 13.

3. To supply what is wanting. A dollar is wanted to make up the stipulated sum.

4. To compose, as ingredients or parts.

Oh, he was all made up of love and charms!

The parties among us are made up of moderate whigs and presbyterians.

5. To shape; as, to make up a mass into pills.

6. To assume a particular form of features; as, to make up a face; whence, to make up a lip, is to pout.

7. To compensate; to make good; as, to make up a loss.

8. To settle; to adjust, or to arrange for settlement; as, to make up accounts.

9. To determine; to bring to a definite conclusion; as, to make up one's mind.

In seamen's language, to make sail, to increase the quantity of sail already extended.

To make sternway, to move with the stern foremost.

To make water, to leak.

To make words, to multiply words.

MAKE, v.i. To tend; to proceed; to move. He made towards home. The tiger made at the sportsman. Formerly authors used to make way, to make on, to make forth, to make about; but these phrases are obsolete. We now say, to make at, to make towards.

1. To contribute; to have effect. This argument makes nothing in his favor. He believes wrong to be right, and right to be wrong, when it makes for his advantage.

2. To rise; to flow toward land; as, the tide makes fast.

To make as if, to show; to appear; to carry appearance.

Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled. Josh.8.

To make away with, to kill; to destroy.

To make for, to move towards; to direct a course towards; as, we apprehended a tempest approaching, and made for a harbor.

1. To tend to advantage; to favor. A war between commercial nations makes for the interest of neutrals.

To make against, to tend to injury. This argument makes against his cause.

To make out, to succeed; to have success at last. He made out to reconcile the contending parties.

To make up, to approach. He made up to us with boldness.

To make up for, to compensate; to supply by an equivalent.

Have you a supply of friends to make up for those who are gone?

To make up with, to settle differences; to become friends.

To make with, to concur.

MAKE, n. Structure; texture; constitution of parts in a body. It may sometimes be synonymous with shape or form, but more properly, the word signifies the manner in which the parts of a body are united; as a man of slender make, or feeble make,

Is our perfection of so frail a make

As every plot can undermine and shake?

MAKE, n. [Eng. match; L. par.] A companion; a mate.

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