To strip of possessions, dignity, or value; to rob, plunder, or pillage someone or something.
From Old French despoiller, from Latin despoliare (de- + spoliare 'to strip, rob' from spoils). The word entered English in the 13th century with military and religious meanings.
Medieval monks would carefully record when armies 'despoiled' monasteries—the word became a technical term for organized theft that involved both violence and dishonor.
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