pil·lage
(pĭl′ĭj)v. pil·laged, pil·lag·ing, pil·lag·es
v.tr.1. To rob of goods by force, especially in time of war; plunder.
2. To take as spoils.
v.intr. To take spoils by force.
n.1. The act of pillaging.
2. Something pillaged; spoils.
[From Middle English, booty, from Old French, from piller, to take (by ruse), plunder, manhandle, from Vulgar Latin *pīliāre, perhaps originally meaning "to deprive (someone) of his felt cap" and derived from Latin pilleus, pīleus, felt cap (given to an ancient Roman freedman as a symbol of his emancipation); perhaps akin to Greek pīlos, felt.]
pil′lag·er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun | 1. | pillager - someone who takes spoils or plunder (as in war)war, warfare - the waging of armed conflict against an enemy; "thousands of people were killed in the war" stealer, thief - a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it |
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