Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Demolition

Demolition (?; 277) , noun

[Latin demolitio, from demoliri: compare French démolition. See Demolish.]

The act of overthrowing, pulling down, or destroying a pile or structure; destruction by violence; utter overthrow; -- opposed to construction; as, the demolition of a house, of military works, of a town, or of hopes.