despoil

  • 1despoil — c.1300, from O.Fr. despoillier (12c., Mod.Fr. dépouiller) to strip, rob, deprive of, steal, borrow, from L. despoliare to rob, despoil, plunder, from de entirely (see DE (Cf. de )) + spoliare to strip of clothing, rob, from spolium armor, booty… …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 2Despoil — De*spoil , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Despoiled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Despoiling}.] [OF. despoiller, F. d[ e]pouiller, L. despoliare, despoliatum; de + spoliare to strip, rob, spolium spoil, booty. Cf. {Spoil}, {Despoliation}.] 1. To strip, as of… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 3despoil — de*spoil , n. Spoil. [Obs.] Wolsey. [1913 Webster] …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 4despoil — I verb assail, attack, bereave, consume, denude, deplume, depredate, deprive, desolate, devastate, devour, dispossess, divest, forage, foray, impoverish, invade, lay waste, leave destitute, loot, make off with, maraud, overrun, pilfer, pillage,… …

    Law dictionary

  • 5despoil — *ravage, devastate, waste, sack, pillage, spoliate Analogous words: plunder, *rob, rifle, loot: *strip, bare, denude …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 6despoil — [v] ravage, destroy denude, depopulate, depredate, deprive, desecrate, desolate, devastate, devour, dispossess, divest, loot, maraud, pillage, plunder, raid, rifle, rob, sack, spoil, spoliate, strip, vandalize, waste, wreak havoc, wreck; concept… …

    New thesaurus

  • 7despoil — ► VERB literary ▪ steal valuable possessions from. DERIVATIVES despoiler noun despoliation noun. ORIGIN Latin despoliare rob, plunder …

    English terms dictionary

  • 8despoil — [dē spoil′, dispoil′] vt. [ME despoilen < OFr despoiller < L despoliare < de , intens. + spoliare, to strip, rob: see SPOIL] to deprive of something of value by or as by force; rob; plunder SYN. RAVAGE despoiler n. despoilment n …

    English World dictionary

  • 9despoil — v. (formal) (D; tr.) to despoil of * * * [dɪ spɔɪl] (formal) (D; tr.) to despoil of …

    Combinatory dictionary

  • 10despoil — UK [dɪˈspɔɪl] / US verb [transitive] Word forms despoil : present tense I/you/we/they despoil he/she/it despoils present participle despoiling past tense despoiled past participle despoiled literary to take all the valuable or beautiful objects… …

    English dictionary