ransack

English

Pronunciation

• Homophone: RANSAC

Etymology

From Middle English ransaken, from Old Norse rannsakka, from rann (“house”) + saka (“search”); probably influenced by sack

Verb

ransack (third-person singular simple present ransacks, present participle ransacking, simple past and past participle ransacked)

1. (transitive) To loot or pillage. See also sack.
2. (transitive) To make a vigorous and thorough search of (a place, person) with a view to stealing something, especially when leaving behind a state of disarray.
3. (archaic) To examine carefully; to investigate.
   • 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book XIII:

     Than com there an olde monke whych somtyme had bene a knyght, and behylde Sir Melyas; and anone he ransaked hym, and than he seyde unto Sir Galahad, ‘I shall heale hym of hys play, by the grace of God, within the terme of seven wykes.’

Translations

to loot or pillage

• Dutch: plunderen (nl)
• Finnish: ryöstää (fi), rosvota (fi)
• French: mettre à sac (fr), saccager (fr)
• German: plündern (de)

• Italian: saccheggiare (it)
• Latin: dīripiō (la)
• Romanian: prăda (ro)
• Spanish: saquear (es)

to make a thorough search or examination for plunder

• Finnish: penkoa (fi), koluta (fi)
• French: fouiller (fr)
• German: durchwühlen (de)

• Italian: rovistare (it)
• Spanish: escudriñar (es)
• Swedish: rannsaka (sv)