plunder

See also: Plunder and plünder

English

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, of obscure ultimate origin.

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”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈplʌndə/
• (General American) enPR: plŭn'də(r), IPA^(key): /ˈplʌndɚ/, /ˈplən-/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌndə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: plund‧er

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.

   • 1937, Josephus, Ralph Marcus, transl., chapter VIII, in Josephus: With an English Translation (Loeb Classical Library), volume VI (Jewish Antiquities), London: William Heinemann Ltd.; Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, published 1958, →OCLC, book IX, paragraph 1, page 87:

     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.

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.

5. (transitive) To take unexpectedly.
   • 2014 October 18, Paul Doyle, “Southampton hammer eight past hapless Sunderland in barmy encounter”, in The Guardian:

     The Serb teed up Steve Davis, who crossed low for Graziano Pellè to plunder his fifth league goal of the campaign.

Derived terms

• plunderable
• plunderage
• plunderer
• plunderous

Translations

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

• Arabic: سَلَبَ (salaba), نَهَبَ (nahaba), حَرَبَ (ar) (ḥaraba)
• Armenian: կողոպտել (hy) (koġoptel), թալանել (hy) (tʻalanel)
• Aromanian: prad, mprad, dispolj
• Azerbaijani: talamaq (az), talan etmək
• Bulgarian: плячкосвам (bg) (pljačkosvam)
• Catalan: pillar (ca), saquejar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 掠奪／掠夺 (zh) (lüèduó)

• Czech: vyplenit, rabovat (cs) impf
• Dutch: plunderen (nl), brandschatten (nl)
• Egyptian: (ḥꜣq)
• Finnish: ryöstää (fi)
• French: piller (fr)
• Georgian: ძარცვავს (ʒarcvavs), გლეჯს (gleǯs), იტაცებს (iṭacebs)
• German: ausplündern (de), plündern (de)
• Greek: λεηλατώ (el) (leïlató), λαφυραγωγώ (el) (lafyragogó), διαγουμίζω (el) (diagoumízo), κουρσεύω (el) (koursévo)

  Ancient: πορθέω (porthéō), συλάω (suláō), σκυλεύω (skuleúō)

• Hebrew: בַּז (he) (baz)
• Hungarian: kifoszt (hu)
• Indonesian: menjarah (id)
• Ingrian: rööstää
• Irish: slad (ga), creach
• Italian: saccheggiare (it), depredare (it), predare (it), fare man bassa
• Japanese: 略奪する (ja) (りゃくだつする, ryakudatsu suru)
• Latin: praedo, expīlō, populor
• Maori: whakarekereke, pāhuahua, pāhua, pāhue, tūkuku, mūrei, hone, kōhunu
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: plyndre (no)

  Nynorsk: plyndre

• Occitan: pilhar (oc), saquejar (oc)
• Old English: strūdan
• Polish: łupić (pl) impf, złupić pf, grabić (pl) impf, ograbić pf, zagrabić pf, obłupić pf, plądrować (pl) impf, splądrować pf, rabować (pl) impf, zrabować (pl) pf, obrabować (pl) pf
• Portuguese: saquear (pt), pilhar (pt), bundar (pt) (Angola)
• Punjabi: ਲੁੱਟਣਾ (luṭṭaṇā)
• Romanian: prăda (ro), despuia (ro)
• Russian: гра́бить (ru) impf (grábitʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: creach
• Spanish: saquear (es), pillar (es), expoliar (es), despojar (es)
• Swedish: plundra (sv)
• Turkish: yağmalamak (tr), talan etmek (tr)
• Ukrainian: плюндрува́ти impf (pljundruváty), сплюндрува́ти (uk) pf (spljundruváty), поплюндрува́ти pf (popljundruváty), розграбо́вувати impf (rozhrabóvuvaty), розграбува́ти pf (rozhrabuváty), грабува́ти impf (hrabuváty)
• Walloon: piyî (wa), branscater (wa)
• Welsh: ysbeilio (cy)
• Yiddish: אַוועקגזלען (avekgazlen)

to take by force or wrongfully

• Armenian: խլել (hy) (xlel)
• Bulgarian: ограбвам (bg) (ograbvam)
• Czech: loupit (cs)
• Dutch: plunderen (nl), roven (nl)
• Finnish: ryöstää (fi)
• Georgian: ძარცვავს (ʒarcvavs), იტაცებს (iṭacebs)
• German: plündern (de)
• Hungarian: fosztogat (hu)
• Ingrian: rööstää
• Italian: razziare (it)
• Maori: hui, pāhuahua, pāhua, pāhue, tūkuku, hone
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: plyndre (no)

  Nynorsk: plyndre

• Portuguese: saquear (pt), pilhar (pt)
• Scottish Gaelic: creach
• Spanish: saquear (es)
• Swedish: plundra (sv)
• Turkish: gasp etmek (tr)
• Walloon: piyî (wa), haper (wa)

to commit robbery or looting (intransitive)

• Armenian: կողոպտել (hy) (koġoptel), թալանել (hy) (tʻalanel)
• Bulgarian: грабя (bg) (grabja)
• Dutch: plunderen (nl), roven (nl)
• Finnish: ryöstää (fi)
• Georgian: იტაცებს (iṭacebs), ძარცვავს (ʒarcvavs), იპარავს (iṗaravs)
• German: plündern (de)
• Greek: πλιατσικολογώ (el) (pliatsikologó), λεηλατώ (el) (leïlató)
• Hungarian: kirabol (hu)
• Ingrian: rööstää
• Irish: slad (ga)
• Italian: rapinare (it)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: plyndre (no)

  Nynorsk: plyndre

• Portuguese: pilhar (pt), saquear (pt)
• Scottish Gaelic: creach
• Spanish: saquear (es)
• Swedish: plundra (sv)
• Turkish: çalmak (tr), aşırmak (tr)
• Walloon: piyî (wa)

to use or use up wrongfully

• Dutch: plunderen (nl), leegroven (nl), opgebruiken (nl), uitputten (nl)
• Finnish: ryöstää (fi)
• German: ausbeuten (de), ausplündern (de)
• Greek: καταληστεύω (el) (katalistévo)
• Hungarian: kifoszt (hu)
• Italian: saccheggiare (it)
• Spanish: saquear (es)
• Walloon: piyî (wa), forsipoujhî (wa)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} piller (fr), ^{(please verify)} ravager (fr)

Noun

plunder (uncountable)

1. An instance of plundering.
2. The loot attained by plundering.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:booty

   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.
   • 1880, The Peterson Magazine, volumes 77-78, page 215:

     […] 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.

Derived terms

• house plunder

Translations

instance of plundering

• Bulgarian: грабеж (bg) m (grabež), обир (bg) m (obir)
• Dutch: plundering (nl), brandschatting (nl)
• Finnish: ryöstö (fi)
• French: pillage (fr) m
• German: Plünderung (de) f
• Greek: πλιάτσικο (el) n (pliátsiko), λεηλασία (el) f (leïlasía), λαφυραγώγηση (el) f (lafyragógisi), κούρσεμα (el) n (koúrsema), διαγούμισμα (el) n (diagoúmisma)
• Irish: argain f
• Italian: saccheggio (it) m, sacco (it) m
• Korean: 약탈(掠奪) (ko) (yaktal)
• Latin: rapīna f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: plyndring (no) m or f

  Nynorsk: plyndring f

• Ottoman Turkish: صویغون (soygun), تاراج (tarac)
• Persian: غارَت (fa) (ğârat), تاراج (fa) (târâj), چپاول (fa) (čapâvol)
• Portuguese: saque (pt) m, pilhagem (pt) f
• Russian: грабёж (ru) m (grabjóž), разграбле́ние (ru) n (razgrablénije)
• Spanish: saqueo (es) m, pillaje (es) m, expoliación (es) f
• Swedish: plundring (sv) c
• Turkish: yağma (tr), talan (tr)

loot attained by plundering

• Armenian: ավար (hy) (avar), թալան (hy) (tʻalan)

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

• Aromanian: pradã f, spolji, pljashcã f
• Bulgarian: плячка (bg) f (pljačka)
• Czech: lup (cs) m, kořist (cs) f
• Dutch: buit (nl), plunderbuit
• Finnish: ryöstösaalis
• French: butin (fr)
• German: Beute (de) f, Raubgut n
• Greek: λάφυρα (el) n pl (láfyra), λεία (el) f (leía), σκῦλα n pl (skûla)

  Ancient: σκῦλα n pl (skûla), λάφυρα n pl (láphura), (Epic) ἕλωρ n (hélōr)

• Hungarian: zsákmány (hu)
• Irish: slad (ga) m
• Italian: bottino (it) m
• Latin: praeda f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: bytte (no) n

  Nynorsk: bytte n

• Ottoman Turkish: تاراج (tarac)
• Portuguese: saque (pt) f, butim (pt) m
• Romanian: pradă (ro) f
• Russian: награ́бленное добро́ n (nagráblennoje dobró), добы́ча (ru) f (dobýča), трофе́й (ru) m pl (troféj)
• Scottish Gaelic: creach f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: пле̑н m (Ekavian), плије̑н m (Ijekavian)

  Roman: plȇn (sh) m (Ekavian), plijȇn (sh) m (Ijekavian)

• Spanish: botín (es), saqueo (es), expolio (es), despojo (es)
• Turkish: ganimet (tr), olca (tr), yağma (tr), çapul (tr), talan (tr), plaçka (tr)

See also

• manubial

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch plunder, further etymology unknown.

Alternative forms

• plonder (obsolete)

Noun

plunder c (plural plunders, diminutive plundertje n)

1. one's property, (collective) possessions

   Synonyms: have (en goed), huisraad

   1. notably furniture and other (mainly small) home inventory

Derived terms

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

 

Etymology 2

Verb

plunder

1. inflection of plunderen:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative