Destroy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Destroyed; p. pr. & vb. n. Destroying.]
Etymology: [OE. destroien, destruien, destrien, OF. destruire, F. détruire, fr. L. destruere, destructum; de + struere to pile up, build. See Structure.]
1. To unbuild; to pull or tear down; to separate virulently into its constituent parts; to break up the structure and organic existence of; to demolish. But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves. Ex. xxxiv. 13.
2. To ruin; to bring to naught; to put an end to; to annihilate; to consume. I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation. Jer. xii. 17.
3. To put an end to the existence, prosperity, or beauty of; to kill. If him by force he can destroy, or, worse, By some false guile pervert. Milton.
Syn. -- To demolish; lay waste; consume; raze; dismantle; ruin; throw down; overthrow; subvert; desolate; devastate; deface; extirpate; extinguish; kill; slay. See Demolish.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for destroy; he lists it under abolish, break, demolish, exterminate, subvert.
Where he writes about it:
To demolish is to beat down, as a mound, building, fortress, etc.; to destroy is to put by any process beyond restoration physically, mentally, or morally; to destroy an army is so to shatter and scatter it that it can not be rallied or reassembled as a fighting force. — from break
To extirpate (L. ex, out, and stirps, stem, stock) is not only to destroy the individuals of any race of plants or animals, but the very stock, so that the race can never be restored; we speak of eradicating a disease, of extirpating a cancer, exterminating wild beasts or hostile tribes; we seek to eradicate or extirpate all vices and evils. — from exterminate