plunder

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[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

Recorded since 1632 (during the Thirty Years War, native British use since the Cromwellian Civil War), from High German Hutterisch plunderen (=modern Dutch) "to plunder," originally "to take away household furniture," from plunder "household goods, clothes" ("lumber, baggage," 14c.); akin to Middle (=present) Dutch plunder "household goods", Frisian and Dutch plunje "clothes".

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Verb

Infinitive
to plunder

Third person singular
plunders

Simple past
plundered

Past participle
plundered

Present participle
plundering

to plunder (third-person singular simple present plunders, present participle plundering, simple past and past participle plundered)

  1. (transitive) To pillage, take or destroy all the goods of, by force (as in war); to raid, sack.
    The mercenaries plundered the small town.
  2. (intransitive) To take by force or wrongfully; to commit robbery or looting, to raid.
    "Now to plunder, mateys!" screamed a buccaneer, to cries of "Arrgh!" and "Aye!" all around.
    The shopkeep was plundered of his possessions by the burglar.
  3. (transitive) To make extensive (over)use of, as if by plundering; to use or use up wrongfully.
    The miners plundered the jungle for its diamonds till it became a muddy waste.

[edit] Derived terms

[edit] Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

[edit] Noun

Singular
plunder

Plural
uncountable

plunder (uncountable)

  1. An instance of plundering
  2. The loot attained by plundering
    The Hessian kept his choicest plunder in a sack that never left his person, for fear that his comrades would steal it.

[edit] Translations


[edit] Dutch

[edit] Etymology 1

Germanic, from Middle Dutch, cognate with the other etymology, English to plunder, German plündern and Swedish plundra

[edit] Alternative forms

[edit] Noun

plunder (plural plunders, diminutive plundertje, diminutive plural plundertjes) ?m.

  1. One's property, (collective) possessions,
    1. Notably furniture and other (mainly small) home inventory

[edit] Synonyms

[edit] Derived terms

[edit] Etymology 2

cognate with the above and English to plunder

[edit] Verb form

plunder

  1. imperative and singular present imperfect forms of plunderen
  2. also used in separated forms of compound derived verbs, such as leegplunderen, uitplunderen (being separated from the invariable part, i.e. 'leeg' viz. 'uit')
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