Build

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /bɪld/

Definitions

1. to construct or create something by putting parts or materials together
2. To put together parts or materials to make a structure or object ; to grow or cause to grow over time into a stronger or more complete state
3. To assemble components to form a physical creation ; to foster progress or improvement steadily through effort

Etymology: Before "build" meant assembling a structure, the Old English ancestors of the word, "byldan" and "bytlan," meant something closer to "to dwell" or "to settle." Its root is a Proto-Germanic noun, "buþlą" or "bōþlą," meaning "house, dwelling, farm," which also gave Old English "botl," a building or house. The verb's sense of constructing grew out of that idea of making a place to live, so the home came first and the act of building it followed. The English word is a false cognate of German "bilden," which looks like a close relative but means "to form" or "to educate." The two words share a surface resemblance without sharing a common ancestor in that sense, so the similarity is coincidental. The English verb descends from the "house" root, while the German one comes from a separate Germanic source.

Synonyms: construct, erect, assemble, create, develop

Antonyms: destroy, demolish, ruin