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dismantle

[dis-man-tl]
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verb (used with object), dis·man·tled, dis·man·tling.
  1. to deprive or strip of apparatus, furniture, equipment, defenses, etc.: to dismantle a ship; to dismantle a fortress.
  2. to disassemble or pull down; take apart: They dismantled the machine and shipped it in pieces.
  3. to divest of dress, covering, etc.: The wind dismantled the trees of their leaves.
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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. 2018

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.

  • 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)
  1. to take apart
  2. to demolish or raze
  3. to strip of covering
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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

v.

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper