ruin

Ruined

The light dims
Clouds stand still in umber sky
No sound from birds
The sun, black in my eyes.

I need six, only six
Six words letting the world
Wallow with me in agony

I
need
six
words
to
live.

The light dims
Clouds stand still in umber sky
No sound from birds
The sun, black in my eyes.

I need six, only six
Six words letting the world
Celebrate with me in my joy.

I
need
six
words
to
die.

The light dims
Clouds stand still in umber sky
No sound from birds
The sun, black in my eyes.

Context: insurance, risk theory

Intuitive definition. An insurance company is ruined when it does not have enough cash reservers to meet claim payments. Generally considered as a Bad Thing. An recent example of this in Australia concerns HIH.

Mathematical definition. Consider a surplus process U_t, in which there is an initial reserve U₀, a premium process and a claims process. The ruin event would be {U_t < 0}.

Because ruin is such a Bad Thing, a lot of mathematics (consuming countless hours of academic research) is involved in predicting such things happening, and ensuring that the insurance company has enough reserves so that the probability of ruin is acceptably small.

Ru"in (?), n. [OE. ruine, F. ruine, fr. L. ruina, fr. ruere, rutum, to fall with violence, to rush or tumble down.]

1.

The act of falling or tumbling down; fall.

Chapman.

2.

Such a change of anything as destroys it, or entirely defeats its object, or unfits it for use; destruction; overthrow; as, the ruin of a ship or an army; the ruin of a constitution or a government; the ruin of health or hopes.

Gray.

3.

That which is fallen down and become worthless from injury or decay; as, his mind is a ruin; especially, in the plural, the remains of a destroyed, dilapidated, or desolate house, fortress, city, or the like.

The Veian and the Gabian towers shall fall, And one promiscuous ruin cover all; Nor, after length of years, a stone betray The place where once the very ruins lay. Addison.

The labor of a day will not build up a virtuous habit on the ruins of an old and vicious character. Buckminster.

4.

The state of being dcayed, or of having become ruined or worthless; as, to be in ruins; to go to ruin.

5.

That which promotes injury, decay, or destruction.

The errors of young men are the ruin of business. Bacon.

Syn. -- Destruction; downfall; perdition; fall; overthrow; subversion; defeat; bane; pest; mischief.

© Webster 1913.

Ru"in, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ruined (?);p. pr. & vb. n. Ruining.] [Cf. F. ruiner, LL. ruinare. See Ruin, n.]

To bring to ruin; to cause to fall to pieces and decay; to make to perish; to bring to destruction; to bring to poverty or bankruptcy; to impair seriously; to damage essentially; to overthrow.

this mortal house I'll ruin. Shak.

By thee raised, I ruin all my foes. Milton.

The eyes of other people are the eyes that ruin us. Franklin.

By the fireside there are old men seated, Seeling ruined cities in the ashes. Longfellow.

© Webster 1913.

Ru"in, v. i.

To fall to ruins; to go to ruin; to become decayed or dilapidated; to perish.

Though he his house of polished marble build, Yet shall it ruin like the moth's frail cell. Sandys.

If we are idle, and disturb the industrious in their business, we shall ruin the faster. Locke.

© Webster 1913.