Hypertext Webster Gateway: "dilapidation"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Dilapidation \Di*lap`i*da"tion\, n. [L. dilapidatio: cf. F.
dilapidation.]
1. The act of dilapidating, or the state of being
dilapidated, reduced to decay, partially ruined, or
squandered.
Tell the people that are relived by the dilapidation
of their public estate. --Burke.
2. Ecclesiastical waste; impairing of church property by an
incumbent, through neglect or by intention.
The business of dilapidations came on between our
bishop and the Archibishop of York. --Strype.
3. (Law) The pulling down of a building, or suffering it to
fall or be in a state of decay. --Burrill.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
dilapidation
n 1: a state of deterioration due to old age or long use [syn: {decrepitude}]
2: the process of becoming dilapidated [syn: {ruin}]
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