dismantle
Definitions
To take a machine or structure apart.
拆卸；拆除。
To gradually destroy or end a system, organization, or set of arrangements.
逐步废除；瓦解（制度、组织）。
Root Breakdown
Root-deriveddis- (remove) + mantle (cloak/covering) = literally 'to strip off the cloak.' From 'remove the covering' it broadened to 'take the whole thing apart,' then figuratively 'break down a system piece by piece.' Note: the 'man' here is mantle (cloak), NOT manus (hand) — a look-alike, not a true man word.
Why It Means This
Dismantle looks like a man (hand) word but is not. It comes from mantle, a cloak — to dismantle was originally to remove a covering or fittings. The meaning grew outward: first physically taking machines and structures apart, then figuratively breaking down abstract systems (dismantle apartheid, dismantle a network). The thread is removal, layer by layer.
Common Collocations
- 1.dismantle a system瓦解一个制度
- 2.dismantle a network摧毁一个网络
- 3.carefully dismantle小心拆卸
Example Sentences
- 1.
Workers dismantled the stage after the concert.
- 2.
The new government promised to dismantle the old system.