plunder

See also: Plunder

English

Etymology

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”); akin to Middle Dutch plunder (“household goods”), West Frisian plunje and Dutch plunje (“clothes”).

Pronunciation

• audio (US)

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• enPR: plŭn'də(r), IPA^(key): /ˈplʌndə(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -ʌndə(ɹ)

Verb

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

• plunderable
• plunderage
• plunderer
• plunderous

Translations

to take all the goods of, by force (as in war) (transitive)

• Aromanian: prad, mprad
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 掠奪, 掠夺 (zh) (lüèduó)

• Czech: vyplenit
• Dutch: plunderen (nl), brandschatten (nl)
• Finnish: ryöstää (fi)
• French: piller (fr)
• German: ausplündern, plündern (de)
• Greek: λεηλατώ (el) (leilató), λαφυραγωγώ (el) (lafyragogó), διαγουμίζω (el) (diagoumízo), κουρσεύω (el) (koursévo)
• Hungarian: kifoszt (hu)
• Indonesian: menjarah (id)
• Italian: saccheggiare, depredare (it), predare, fare man bassa

• Japanese: 略奪する (ja) (りゃくだつする, ryakudatsu suru)
• Latin: praedo
• Maori: whakarekereke
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: plyndre (no)

  Nynorsk: plyndre

• Portuguese: saquear (pt), pilhar (pt)
• Romanian: prăda (ro)
• Russian: грабить (ru) impf (grábitʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: creach
• Spanish: saquear
• Swedish: plundra (sv)

to take by force or wrongfully

• Czech: loupit (cs)
• Dutch: plunderen (nl), roven (nl)
• Finnish: ryöstää (fi)
• German: plündern (de)
• Hungarian: fosztogat (hu)
• Italian: fare piazza pulita (it), razziare
• Maori: hui

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: plyndre (no)

  Nynorsk: plyndre

• Portuguese: saquear (pt), pilhar (pt)
• Scottish Gaelic: creach
• Spanish: saquear
• Swedish: plundra (sv)

to commit robbery or looting (intransitive)

• Dutch: plunderen (nl), roven (nl)
• Finnish: ryöstää (fi)
• German: plündern (de)
• Greek: πλιατσικολογώ (el) (pliatsikologó), λεηλατώ (el) (leilató)
• Hungarian: kirabol (hu)
• Italian: rapinare (it)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: plyndre (no)

  Nynorsk: plyndre

• Portuguese: pilhar (pt), saquear (pt)
• Scottish Gaelic: creach
• Spanish: saquear
• Swedish: plundra (sv)

to use or use up wrongfully

• Dutch: plunderen (nl), leegroven, opgebruiken (nl), uitputten (nl)
• Finnish: ryöstää (fi)
• German: ausbeuten, ausplündern
• Greek: καταληστεύω (katalistévo)

• Hungarian: kifoszt (hu)
• Italian: saccheggiare
• Spanish: saquear

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.

Translations to be checked

• French: piller (fr), ravager (fr)

Noun

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

instance of plundering

• Dutch: plundering, brandschatting
• Finnish: ryöstö (fi)
• French: pillage (fr) m
• German: Plünderung (de) f
• Greek: πλιάτσικο (el) n (pliátsiko), λεηλασία (el) f (leilasía), λαφυραγώγηση (el) f (lafyragógisi), κούρσεμα (el) n (koúrsema), διαγούμισμα (el) n (diagoúmisma)

• Italian: saccheggio (it) m, sacco (it) m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: plyndring (no) m, f

  Nynorsk: plyndring f

• Portuguese: saque (pt) m, pilhagem f
• Russian: грабёж (ru) m (grabjóž), разграбление (ru) n (razgrablénije)

loot attained by plundering

• Armenian: ավար (avar), թալան (tʿalan)

  Old Armenian: աւար (awar), ապուռ (apuṙ)

• Aromanian: pradã f, spolji
• Czech: lup (cs) m, kořist f
• Dutch: buit (nl), plunderbuit
• Finnish: ryöstösaalis
• German: Beute (de) f, Raubgut n
• Greek: λάφυρα n pl (láfyra), λεία (el) f (leía)
• Hungarian: zsákmány (hu)
• Italian: bottino (it) m

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: bytte (no) n

  Nynorsk: bytte n

• Portuguese: saque (pt) f, butim (pt) m
• Romanian: pradă (ro)
• Russian: награбленное добро n (nagráblennoje dobró), добыча (ru) f (dobýča), трофей (ru) m pl (troféi)
• Scottish Gaelic: creach f
• Spanish: botín (es), saqueo (es)

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Dutch

Etymology 1

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

Alternative forms

• plonder (obsolete)

Noun

plunder c (plural plunders, diminutive plundertje n)

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

Synonyms

• have (en goed), huisraad

Derived terms

• plunderage
• geplunderd (adjective)
• plunderij
• plunderbroek
• plunderkamer m, f
• plundermarkt m, f
• plundermelk m, f
• plunderzolder m
• bedelaarsplunder ?m

Etymology 2

cognate with the above and English to plunder

Verb

plunder

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