Wiktionary

plunder

See also: Plunder and plünder

English

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Etymology

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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, from a noun originally meaning "household goods, bedding, clothing," of obscure ultimate origin. This is first attested in medieval records, and according to Gijsseling, is therefore attested too late to be considered a substrate word.[1] Due to the lack of obvious cognates in other languages from which it would have been loaned, it could have developed as some slang word in Lower Saxony/the Low Countries.

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

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Verb

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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.
  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.

Derived terms

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Translations

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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

Noun

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plunder (uncountable)

  1. An instance of plundering.
  2. The loot attained by plundering.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:booty
    The Hessian kept his choicest plunder in a sack that never left his person, for fear that his comrades would steal it.
  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.
  4. (Philippines, crime) The crime of amassing ill-gotten wealth by public officials through a combination or series of overt criminal acts.

Derived terms

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Translations

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Witczak, Krzysztof (1996): The Pre-Germanic Substrata and Germanic Maritime Vocabulary , p. 173

Dutch

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle Dutch plunder, further etymology unknown. See the verb plunderen.

Alternative forms

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Noun

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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
Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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Verb

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plunder

  1. inflection of plunderen:
    1. first-person singular present indicative
    2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
    3. imperative
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