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. 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 (GA) (file)
Audio (GA) (file)
Rhymes: -ʌndə(ɹ)
Hyphenation: plund‧er

Verb

plunder (third-person singular simple present plunders, present participle plundering, simple past and past participle plundered)

(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 768288966, 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.
(transitive) To take (goods) by pillage.
The mercenaries plundered all the goods they found.
(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.
(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.
(transitive) To take unexpectedly.
- 2014, Paul Doyle, "Southampton hammer eight past hapless Sunderland in barmy encounter", The Guardian, 18 October 2014:
  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) (kołoptel), թալանել (hy) (tʿalanel)
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)
Irish: slad (ga)
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)
Romanian: prăda (ro), despuia (ro)
Russian: гра́бить (ru) impf (grábitʹ)
Scottish Gaelic: creach
Spanish: saquear (es)
Swedish: plundra (sv)
Turkish: yağmalamak (tr), talan etmek (tr)
Ukrainian: плюндрува́ти impf (pljundruváty)
Walloon: piyî (wa), branscater (wa)
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)
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) (kołoptel), թալանել (hy) (tʿalanel)
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)
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)

An instance of plundering.
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.
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:booty
(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
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
Persian: غارَت‎ (fa) (ğârat), تاراج‎ (fa) (târâj), چپاول‎‎ (čapâvol)
Portuguese: saque (pt) m, pilhagem f
Russian: грабёж (ru) m (grabjóž), разграбле́ние (ru) n (razgrablénije)
Spanish: saqueo (es) m
Swedish: plundring (sv) c
Turkish: yağma (tr), talan (tr)

loot attained by plundering

Armenian: ավար (hy) (avar), թալան (hy) (tʿalan)
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
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)
Turkish: ganimet (tr), olca (tr), yağma (tr), çapul (tr), talan (tr), plaçka (tr)

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)

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

Verb

plunder

first-person singular present indicative of plunderen
imperative of plunderen