To break apart, interrupt, or cause confusion in something that was working smoothly.
From Latin 'disrumpere' (to break apart), from 'dis-' (apart) plus 'rumpere' (to break). The word entered English in the 1600s with growing use in technical and organizational contexts.
In modern business, 'disruption' is actually praised—companies want to 'disrupt' their industries. But originally it was purely negative. The rehabilitation of the word shows how marketing language completely flips meanings: what used to be bad became the ultimate compliment.
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