Dilapidate

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /dɪˈlæp.ɪ.deɪt/, /dəˈlæp.É™.deɪt/

Origin

From Latin dilapidātus, past participle of dilapidō ("I destroy with stones"), from dis ("intensifier") + lapidō ("I stone"), from lapis ("stone")

Full definition of dilapidate

Verb

1. To fall into ruin or disuse.
2. To cause to become ruined or put into disrepair.
• BlackstoneIf the bishop, parson, or vicar, etc., dilapidates the buildings, or cuts down the timber of the patrimony...
• 1883, George Bernard Shaw, , chapter VIIn the last days of autumn he had whitewashed the chalet, painted the doors, windows, and veranda, repaired the roof and interior, and improved the place so much that the landlord had warned him that the rent would be raised at the expiration of his twelvemonth's tenancy, remarking that a tenant could not reasonably expect to have a pretty, rain-tight dwelling-house for the same money as a hardly habitable ruin. Smilash had immediately promised to dilapidate it to its former state at the end of the year.
3. (figuratively) To squander or waste.
• WoodThe patrimony of the bishopric of Oxon was much dilapidated.

Related terms

• lapidate