pillaging

pil·lage  (plj)

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 plunder, from peille, rag (probably from Latin pilleus, pleus, felt cap) or from Vulgar Latin *plire.]

---

pillag·er n.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

pillaging - the act of stealing valuable things from a place; "the plundering of the Parthenon"; "his plundering of the great authors" plundering, pillage aggression, hostility - violent action that is hostile and usually unprovoked banditry - the practice of plundering in gangs rapine, rape - the act of despoiling a country in warfare looting, robbery - plundering during riots or in wartime despoilation, despoilment, despoliation, spoilation, spoliation, spoil - the act of stripping and taking by force ravaging, devastation - plundering with excessive damage and destruction depredation, predation - an act of plundering and pillaging and marauding sack - the plundering of a place by an army or mob; usually involves destruction and slaughter; "the sack of Rome"