démolir

Démolir is a French transitive verb meaning to demolish or tear down a building or other structure. It can also be used figuratively to mean destroying or ruining something, such as an argument, a plan, or a reputation. The act implied is typically intentional and involves removing or destroying the physical integrity of the object.

Etymology and related forms: The verb comes from Old French demollir or démolir and ultimately from Latin demolire, from de- “down” + molere “to grind.” The related noun démolition denotes the act or process of demolishing, while a person who performs the action is a démolisseur (or démolisseuse, feminine).

Conjugation and usage notes: Démolir is a regular -ir verb in its conjugation pattern, with the stem changing in many forms. Present tense forms include je démolis, tu démolis, il démolit, nous démolissons, vous démolissez, ils démolissent. The past participle is démoli, used with avoir in compound tenses (j’ai démoli, nous avons démoli). Imperfect forms are démolissais/démolissais/démolissait, etc. Other common forms follow standard -ir verb endings: démolirai (future), démolirais (conditional), que je démolisse (subjunctive present). The present participle is démolissant.

Typical usage: Démolir governs a direct object. Examples: “La municipalité va démolir l’ancien cinéma.” “Ils ont démoli le mur hier.” The verb is often paired with terms like démolition (the act) and démolisseur/démolisseuse (the person performing the action).

See also: démolition; démolisseur; others verbs of destruction such as abattre or raser, which can be related but carry different nuances.

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