dismantle
UK [dɪsˈmæntʰəɫ] · US [dɪsˈmæ̃nɾɫ̩] verb
Forms dismantles dismantling dismantled
- verb (transitive) To take apart; to disassemble; to take to pieces.
- verb (transitive) To disprove a discourse, claim or argument.
- verb (transitive, originally) To divest, strip of dress or covering.
- verb (transitive) To remove fittings or furnishings from.
Synonyms
level raze rase tear down take down pull down disassemble take apart break up break apart strip
Etymology
From Middle French desmanteler, itself from des- (“dis-”), mantel (“coat”) + -er (verbal suffix). By surface analysis, dis- + mantle.
Compare typologically uncloak, reveal, unmask.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To strip or deprive of dress; to divest.
- verb To strip of furniture and equipments, guns, etc.; to unrig; to strip of walls or outworks; to break down; as, to dismantle a fort, a town, or a ship.
Etymology [F. démanteler, OF. desmanteler; pref: des- (L. dis-) + manteler to cover with a cloak, defend, fr. mantel, F. manteau, cloak. See Mantle.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “dismantle”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details