plunder

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Contents

English [edit]

Etymology [edit]

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

Pronunciation [edit]

Verb [edit]

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.
    The shopkeeper was plundered of his possessions by the burglar.
  2. (transitive) To take (goods) by pillage.
    The mercenaries plundered all the goods they found.
  3. (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.
  4. (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.

Derived terms [edit]

Translations [edit]

to take all the goods of, by force (as in war) (transitive)
to take by force or wrongfully
to commit robbery or looting (intransitive)
to use or use up wrongfully
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Noun [edit]

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.
  3. (slang, dated) baggage; luggage

Translations [edit]

instance of plundering
loot attained by plundering

Dutch [edit]

Etymology 1 [edit]

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

Alternative forms [edit]

Noun [edit]

plunder c (plural plunders, diminutive plundertje)

  1. One's property, (collective) possessions,
    1. Notably furniture and other (mainly small) home inventory
Synonyms [edit]
Derived terms [edit]

Etymology 2 [edit]

cognate with the above and English to plunder

Verb [edit]

plunder

  1. first-person singular present indicative of plunderen
  2. imperative of plunderen
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