A person or thing that destroys, or specifically a fast, heavily armed naval warship designed for convoy escort and anti-submarine warfare.
From Latin destruere meaning 'to pull down' or 'to demolish,' combining de- (down, away) and struere (to build). The naval term emerged in the 1890s for ships designed to destroy torpedo boats, originally called 'torpedo boat destroyers.'
Naval destroyers got their name because they were originally built to hunt down torpedo boats that threatened larger warships, making them literally 'destroyers of destroyers.' Modern destroyers are among the most versatile warships, capable of anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare - true multi-threat platforms that have evolved far beyond their original specialized role.
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