détruisent

Détruisent is the third-person plural present indicative form of the French verb détruire, meaning "to destroy." It is used with a plural subject (ils or elles) to indicate that several agents are performing destruction in the present. The infinitive is détruire; the past participle is détruit.

Etymology: The verb comes from Old French destruire, which itself derives from Latin destruere or distruere, formed with the prefix de- (undo, remove) and the root struere (to build). The evolution reflects the sense of pulling down or undoing construction.

Usage and nuance: Détruire denotes complete ruin or obliteration rather than mere damage. It is a transitive verb and requires a direct object. Examples include: "Ils détruisent les preuves" (They destroy the evidence) and "Les incendies détruisent les forêts" (The fires destroy forests). In figurative contexts, it can describe erasing plans, reputations, or systems.

Conjugation notes: Other present-tense forms of détruire are: je détruis, tu détruis, il détruit, nous détruisons, vous détruisez, ils détruisent. The verb forms a regular pattern for the French -uire family, though the spelling changes follow standard verb conjugation rules.