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pil·lage

(pĭlĭj)

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.

1. The act of pillaging.

2. Something pillaged; spoils.

[From Middle English, booty, from Old French, from piller, to take (by ruse), plunder, manhandle, from Vulgar Latin *pīliāre, perhaps originally meaning "to deprive (someone) of his felt cap" and derived from Latin pilleus, pīleus, felt cap (given to an ancient Roman freedman as a symbol of his emancipation); perhaps akin to Greek pīlos, felt.]

pillag·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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