rovine
Rovine is an Italian noun meaning ruins in the plural form; the singular is rovina. It designates the remains of buildings, towns, or monuments that are damaged, abandoned, or no longer in use. The term is common in archaeology, architecture, travel writing, and heritage contexts to describe sites where the past is visible through walls, foundations, and fragments of construction.
Etymology and form: Rovina derives from Latin ruina meaning collapse, via Old Italian rovina, with the modern
Usage and scope: In English-language texts, rovine is not a standard term; its meaning is conveyed by
Cultural notes: Beyond its literal sense, rovine commonly appears in photography, guidebooks, and scholarly writing as