plunder

Recorded since 1632 (during the Thirty Years War, native British use since the Cromwellian Civil War), from Hutterisch plunderen (“to plunder, originally “to take away household furniture”) (Dutch plunderen) from plunder (“household goods, clothes; lumber, baggage”); akin to Middle Dutch plunder (“household goods”), Saterland Frisian plunnerje (“to loot, plunder”), West Frisian plunje and Dutch plunje (“clothes”).

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• enPR: plŭn'də(r), IPA^(key): /ˈplʌndə(ɹ)/

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• Rhymes: -ʌndə(ɹ)

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 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.

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, 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.

plunder (uncountable)

1. An instance of plundering.
2. 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.

   See Thesaurus:booty

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.

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From Middle Dutch plunder, further etymology unknown.

• plonder (obsolete)

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

plunder

1. first-person singular present indicative of plunderen
2. imperative of plunderen