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Plunder
Definitions
- 1 An instance of plundering. uncountable
- 2 goods or money obtained illegally wordnet
- 3 The loot attained by plundering. uncountable
"The Hessian kept his choicest plunder in a sack that never left his person, for fear that his comrades would steal it."
- 4 Baggage; luggage. dated, slang, uncountable
"[…] till a long-legged boy brought him out of his revery, by an offer to carry his “plunder,” in whatsoever direction he might desire to direct his steps."
- 5 The crime of amassing ill-gotten wealth by public officials through a combination or series of overt criminal acts. Philippines, uncountable
- 1 To pillage, take or destroy all the goods of, by force (as in war); to raid, sack. transitive
"The mercenaries plundered the small town."
- 2 destroy and strip of its possession wordnet
- 3 To take (goods) by pillage. transitive
"The mercenaries plundered all the goods they found."
- 4 steal goods; take as spoils wordnet
- 5 To take by force or wrongfully; to commit robbery or looting, to raid. intransitive
"“Now to plunder, mateys!” screamed a buccaneer, to cries of “Arrgh!” and “Aye!” all around."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 plunder (a town) after capture wordnet
- 7 To make extensive (over)use of, as if by plundering; to use or use up wrongfully. transitive
"The miners plundered the jungle for its diamonds till it became a muddy waste."
- 8 take illegally; of intellectual property wordnet
- 9 To take unexpectedly. transitive
"The Serb teed up Steve Davis, who crossed low for Graziano Pellè to plunder his fifth league goal of the campaign."
Etymology
Recorded since 1632 during the Thirty Years War, native British use since the Cromwellian Civil War. Borrowed from German plündern (“to loot”), from Middle High German, from Middle Low German plunderen, from a noun originally meaning "household goods, bedding, clothing," of obscure ultimate origin. This is first attested in medieval records, and according to Gijsseling, is therefore attested too late to be considered a substrate word. Due to the lack of obvious cognates in other languages from which it would have been loaned, it could have developed as some slang word in Lower Saxony/the Low Countries. Cognate with Dutch plunderen, West Frisian plonderje, Saterland Frisian plunnerje. Probably denominal from a word for “household goods, clothes, bedding”; compare Middle Dutch plunder, German Plunder (“stuff”), Dutch and West Frisian plunje (“clothes”). The Philippine definition originates with the Anti-Plunder Act (Republic Act No. 7080).
Recorded since 1632 during the Thirty Years War, native British use since the Cromwellian Civil War. Borrowed from German plündern (“to loot”), from Middle High German, from Middle Low German plunderen, from a noun originally meaning "household goods, bedding, clothing," of obscure ultimate origin. This is first attested in medieval records, and according to Gijsseling, is therefore attested too late to be considered a substrate word. Due to the lack of obvious cognates in other languages from which it would have been loaned, it could have developed as some slang word in Lower Saxony/the Low Countries. Cognate with Dutch plunderen, West Frisian plonderje, Saterland Frisian plunnerje. Probably denominal from a word for “household goods, clothes, bedding”; compare Middle Dutch plunder, German Plunder (“stuff”), Dutch and West Frisian plunje (“clothes”). The Philippine definition originates with the Anti-Plunder Act (Republic Act No. 7080).
See also for "plunder"
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