Wordwyrt

despoil

Meaningto plunder

Common meaning: to strip of valuables

‘down, away, off’ + ‘booty, plunder’ → despoil

Journey through time

  1. Latinspolium, -ī‘booty, plunder’
  2. Frenchdespoiller
  3. Middle Englishdespoilensource
  4. Englishdespoil‘to strip of valuables’ · today

de- also in: deterdecampdecidededucedefame

spoil also in: spoil

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: not available. Respelling: generated.
  • US IPA: not available. Respelling: generated.

Origin: Built on Latin spolium ‘booty, plunder’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry spolium, p. 1745 · dictionary scan

Roots

Related words

spoil

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