Destruidos

Destruidos is a Spanish term that functions as the masculine plural past participle of the verb destruir, meaning "destroyed." As an adjective, it describes things that have been destroyed or severely damaged and agrees with the noun it modifies. The feminine forms are destruida (singular) and destruidas (plural); the masculine singular is destruido. The standard orthography places an accent on the i in the plural forms (destruídos, destruidas), but in contexts where diacritics are omitted, you may see destruidos and destruidas.

Etymology and form: Destruidos derives from destruir, which comes from Latin destruere (de- +struere, “to pull down, ruin”). The word is used primarily as a descriptor or as part of compound expressions indicating damage or ruin.

Usage: Destruidos appears frequently in journalism, history, and descriptions of disaster or conflict to denote that objects, structures, or areas have been ruined. Examples include: “El barrio quedó destruido tras el terremoto” and “Los edificios quedaron destruidos.” Beyond physical damage, the term can be used metaphorically to indicate ruin or collapse of systems, plans, or institutions.

See also: destrucción, destruir, destruido.

Notes: While destruidos is commonly encountered, the diacritic-marked forms destruídos (singular) and destruidas (plural) are the standard in proper Spanish orthography. In plain text or systems that omit accents, the form may appear as destruidos or destruidas.