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ran·sack

(rănsăk′)

tr.v. ran·sacked, ran·sack·ing, ran·sacks

1. To search through (something) thoroughly and often roughly: ransacked the drawer looking for my keys.

2. To go through (a place) stealing valuables and causing disarray; pillage: ransacked the village.

[Middle English ransaken, from Old Norse rannsaka : rann, house + *saka, to search, seek; see sāg- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

ransack′er n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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