Main Entry: de·con·struc·tion

Pronunciation: \ˌdē-kən-ˈstrək-shən\

Function: noun

Etymology: French déconstruction, from dé- de- + construction

Date: 1973

1 : a philosophical or critical method which asserts that meanings, metaphysical constructs, and hierarchical oppositions (as between key terms in a philosophical or literary work) are always rendered unstable by their dependence on ultimately arbitrary signifiers; also : an instance of the use of this method <a deconstruction of the nature–culture opposition in Rousseau's work>
2 : the analytic examination of something (as a theory) often in order to reveal its inadequacy