dismantle

[dis-man-tl]

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verb (used with object), dis·man·tled, dis·man·tling.

to deprive or strip of apparatus, furniture, equipment, defenses, etc.: to dismantle a ship; to dismantle a fortress.

to disassemble or pull down; take apart: They dismantled the machine and shipped it in pieces.

to divest of dress, covering, etc.: The wind dismantled the trees of their leaves.

Origin of dismantle

From the Middle French word desmanteler, dating back to 1570–80. See dis-¹, mantle

Related formsdis·man·tle·ment, noundis·man·tler, nounun·dis·man·tled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for dismantlement

defamation, calumniation, dismantlement

Examples from the Web for dismantlement

Historical Examples of dismantlement

There were three here now, all in advanced stages of dismantlement.
Rebels of the Red Planet
Charles Louis Fontenay
Then came the dismantlement of Athens by Lysander and the dismemberment of the old democracy.
Studies of the Greek Poets (Vol II of 2)
John Addington Symonds
And there were three groundcars, all in various stages of breakdown or dismantlement.
Rebels of the Red Planet
Charles Louis Fontenay

British Dictionary definitions for dismantlement

dismantle

verb (tr)

to take apart

to demolish or raze

to strip of covering

Derived Formsdismantlement, noundismantler, noun

Word Origin for dismantle

C17: from Old French desmanteler to remove a cloak from; see mantle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dismantlement

dismantle

1570s, from Middle French desmanteler "to tear down the walls of a fortress," literally "strip of a cloak," from des- "off, away" (see dis-) + manteler "to cloak" (see mantle). Related: Dismantled; dismantling.