Lewis & Short

rŭīna, ae, f. [ruo], a rushing or tumbling down; a falling down, fall (syn.: casus, lapsus).

  1. I. In abstracto.
    1. A. Lit.
      1. 1. In gen. (rare). grandinis, Lucr. 6, 156: aquarum, Cael. Aur. Tard. 2, 1 med.: nostra (sc. nucum), Mart. 13, 25, 2: jumentorum sarcinarumque, Liv. 44, 5: Capanei, a fall by lightning (v. Capaneus), Prop. 2, 34 (3, 32), 40: (apri saevi) Permixtas dabant equitum peditumque ruinas, Lucr. 5, 1329: Tyrrhenus et Aconteus Conixi incurrunt hastis, primique ruinam Dant sonitu ingenti, rush or fall upon each other, Verg. A. 11, 613: interea suspensa graves aulaea ruinas In patinam fecere, fell down, Hor. S. 2, 8, 54.
      2. 2. In partic., of buildings, a tumbling or falling down, downfall, ruin (class.; in good prose only in sing.): repentinā ruinā pars ejus turris concidit … tum hostes, turris repentinā ruinā commoti, etc., Caes. B. C. 2, 11 fin. and 12 init.; cf.: ferunt conclave illud, ubi epularetur Scopas, concidisse: eā ruinā ipsum oppressum cum suis interiisse, Cic. de Or. 2, 86, 353; id. Div. 2, 8, 20; Tac. A. 2, 47: aedificiorum, Suet. Oth. 8: amphitheatri, id. Tib. 40: camerae, id. Ner. 34: spectaculorum, id. Calig. 31: pontis, id. Aug. 20: tecta Penthei Disjecta non leni ruinā, Hor. C. 2, 19, 15: jam Deiphobi dedit ampla ruinam, Vulcano superante, domus, i. e. fell in, Verg. A. 2, 310; so, trahere ruinam, id. ib. 2, 465; 9, 712; cf. B. α, infra: effulsisse inter ruinam ignes, Tac. A. 2, 47: ruinam urbis et incendia recordantes, Just. 5, 7, 10: morbus, captivitas, ruina, ignis, Sen. Tranq. 11, 6: multos occidere incendii ac ruinae potentia est, id. Clem. 1, 26, 5.
        In plur.: tantae in te impendent ruinae, nisi suffulcis firmiter, Plaut. Ep. 1, 1, 77; so Vell. 2, 35, 4 (with incendia); Suet. Vesp. 8; Lucr. 2, 1145: si fractus illabatur orbis, Impavidum ferient ruinae, Hor. C. 3, 3, 8: dum Capitolio dementes ruinas parabat, id. ib. 1, 37, 7.
    2. B. Trop., a downfall, fall, ruin; accident, catastrophe, disaster, overthrow, destruction, etc. (freq. and class.; used equally in sing. and plur.; cf.: exitium, pernicies).
          1. (α) Sing.: vis illa fuit et, ut saepe jam dixi, ruina quaedam atque tempestas, a catastrophe, Cic. Clu. 35, 96: incendium meum ruinā restinguam, with the overthrow, fall (of the State), Catilina ap. Sall. C. 31, 9, and ap. Cic. Mur. 25, 51: ut communi ruinā patriae opprimerentur, Liv. 45, 26; Vell. 2, 91, 4; 2, 85, 1; 2, 124, 1: in hac ruinā rerum stetit una integra atque immobilis virtus populi Romani, Liv. 26, 41: rerum nostrarum, id. 5, 51: urbis, id. 25, 4: ex loco superiore impetu facto, strage ac ruinā fudere Gallos, utter defeat, id. 5, 43; cf.: ruinae similem stragem eques dedit, id. 4, 33: Cannensis, id. 23, 25; 42, 66 fin.; 4, 46; 5, 47: ruina soceri in exsilium pulsus, Tac. H. 4, 6; cf. id. G. 36: pereat sceleratus, regnique trahat patriaeque ruinam, Ov. M. 8, 497: aliae gentes belli sequuntur ruinam, Flor. 2, 12, 1: ille dies utramque Ducet ruinam, i. e. death, Hor. C. 2, 17, 9: Neronis principis, Plin. 17, 25, 38, § 245.
          2. (β) Plur.: praetermitto ruinas fortunarum tuarum, quas omnes impendere tibi proximis Idibus senties, Cic. Cat. 1, 6, 14: in ruinis aversae, atque afflictae rei publicae, id. Sest. 2, 5: devota morti pectora liberae Quantis fatigaret ruinis, Hor. C. 4, 14, 19; cf.: nox auget ruinas, Val. Fl. 3, 207: principiis in rerum fecere ruinas et graviter magni magno cecidere ibi casu, i. e. false steps, errors, mistakes, Lucr. 1, 740: (Academia) si invaserit in haec, miseras edet ruinas, Cic. Leg. 1, 13, 39: ruinas videres, id. Fin. 5, 28, 83.
  2. II. In concreto.
      1. 1. That which tumbles or falls down, a fall (not anteAug.).
    1. A. In gen. (poet.): disjectam Aenaeae toto videt aequore classem Fluctibus oppressos Troas caelique ruinā, i. e. a storm, rain, Verg. A. 1, 129; so, caeli (with insani imbres), Sil. 1, 251: poli, i. e. thunder, Val. Fl. 8, 334.
    2. B. In partic. (acc. to I. A. 2.), a building that has tumbled down, a ruin, ruins (mostly in plur., and not in Cic. prose): nunc humilis veteres tantummodo Troja ruinas ostendit, Ov. M. 15, 424: Sagunti ruinae nostris capitibus incident, Liv. 21, 10, 10: (urbs) deserta ac strata prope omnis ruinis, id. 33, 38, 10: fumantes Thebarum ruinae, id. 9, 18, 7: ruinis templorum templa aedificare, id. 42, 3: in tugurio ruinarum Carthaginiensium, Vell. 2, 19 fin.
      In sing.: alius par labor … flumina ad lavandam hanc ruinam jugis montium ducere, Plin. 33, 4, 21, § 74: EX RVINA TEMPLI MARTIS, Inscr. Orell. 2448 (A.D. 256).
      1. 2. Transf., of persons who cause ruin, a destroyer: rei publicae, Cic. Sest. 51, 109: ruinae publicanorum, id. Prov. Cons. 6, 13.