plunder
Part of speech: verb
noun
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: Recorded since 1632 during the Thirty Years War, native British use since the Cromwellian Civil War. Borrowed from German plündern (“to loot”), from Middle High German, from Middle Low German plunderen, from a noun originally meaning "household goods, bedding, clothing," of obscure ultimate origin. This is first attested in medieval records, and according to Gijsseling, is therefore attested too late to be considered a substrate word. Due to the lack of obvious cognates in other languages from which it would have been loaned, it could have developed as some slang word in Lower Saxony/the Low Countries.
Cognate with Dutch plunderen, West Frisian plonderje, Saterland Frisian plunnerje. Probably denominal from a word for “household goods, clothes, bedding”; compare Middle Dutch plunder, German Plunder (“stuff”), Dutch and West Frisian plunje (“clothes”).
The Philippine definition originates with the Anti-Plunder Act, an act of Congress enacted in 1991.
Inflected forms:
form: plunders
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: plundering
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: plundered
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: plundered
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: To pillage, take or destroy all the goods of, by force (as in war); to raid, sack.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: The mercenaries plundered the small town.
The shopkeeper was plundered of his possessions by the burglar.
Now Azaēlos, the king of Syria, made war on the Israelites and their king Jehu, and ravaged the eastern parts of the country across the Jordan […] spreading fire everywhere and plundering everything and inflicting violence on all who fell into his hands.
gloss: To take (goods) by pillage.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: The mercenaries plundered all the goods they found.
gloss: To take by force or wrongfully; to commit robbery or looting, to raid.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: “Now to plunder, mateys!” screamed a buccaneer, to cries of “Arrgh!” and “Aye!” all around.
gloss: To make extensive (over)use of, as if by plundering; to use or use up wrongfully.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: The miners plundered the jungle for its diamonds till it became a muddy waste.
gloss: To take unexpectedly.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: The Serb teed up Steve Davis, who crossed low for Graziano Pellè to plunder his fifth league goal of the campaign.
gloss: An instance of plundering.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
gloss: The loot attained by plundering.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
examples: The Hessian kept his choicest plunder in a sack that never left his person, for fear that his comrades would steal it.
gloss: Baggage; luggage.
pos: noun
tags: dated
slang
uncountable
examples: […] till a long-legged boy brought him out of his revery, by an offer to carry his “plunder,” in whatsoever direction he might desire to direct his steps.
gloss: The crime of amassing ill-gotten wealth by public officials through a combination or series of overt criminal acts.
pos: noun
tags: Philippines
uncountable
Related words: manubial
Derived words: plunderable
plunderage
plunderer
plunderess
plunderfish
plunderingly
plunderous
plunderphonics
plundersome
replunder
unplundered
economic plunder
house plunder
plunderless
Translations: