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more about despoil
despoil |
3 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Despoil \De*spoil"\, n. Spoil. [Obs.] --Wolsey. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Despoil \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 clothing; to divest or unclothe. [Obs.] --Chaucer. 2. To deprive for spoil; to plunder; to rob; to pillage; to strip; to divest; -- usually followed by of The clothed earth is then bare, Despoiled is the summer fair. --Gower. A law which restored to them an immense domain of which they had been despoiled. --Macaulay. Despoiled of innocence, of faith, of bliss. --Milton. Syn: To strip; deprive; rob; bereave; rifle. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: despoil v 1: steal goods; take as spoils; "During the earthquake people looted the stores that were deserted by their owners" [syn: {plunder}, {loot}, {reave}, {strip}, {rifle}, {ransack}, {pillage}, {foray}] 2: destroy and strip of its possession; "The soldiers raped the beautiful country" [syn: {rape}, {violate}, {plunder}]
more about despoil
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