pillage

WOTD - 16 August 2008    

English

Etymology

From Old French pillage, from piller (“plunder”), from Latin pilleus.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpɪl.ɪdʒ /, /ˈpɪl.ədʒ/, SAMPA: /"pIl.@dZ/, /"pIl.IdZ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪlədʒ

Verb

pillage (third-person singular simple present pillages, present participle pillaging, simple past and past participle pillaged)

1. (ambitransitive) To loot or plunder by force, especially in time of war.
   • 1911, Sabine Baring-Gould, Castles and Cave Dwellings of Europe, Chapter VI: Cliff Castles—Continued,

     Archibald V. (1361-1397) was Count of Perigord. He was nominally under the lilies [France], but he pillaged indiscriminately in his county.

Translations

to loot or plunder by force

Estonian: rüüstama (et) Finnish: ryöstää (fi) French: piller (fr) Indonesian: menjarah (id) Italian: saccheggiare (it)

Latin: praedo (la) Latvian: sirot (lv) Romanian: prăda (ro) Swedish: plundra (sv)

Noun

pillage (uncountable)

1. The spoils of war.
2. The act of pillaging.

Translations

the spoils of war

Finnish: sotasaalis

Italian: bottino (it)

the act of pillaging

Estonian: rüüstamine (et) Finnish: ryöstäminen

Italian: saccheggio (it) Latvian: sirojums (lv) m.