Despoils

/dɪˈspɔɪlz/ verb (third person singular)

Definition

Steals or takes away something valuable from someone, usually by force or in an illegal way.

Etymology

Third person singular present tense of 'despoil', maintaining the root meaning from Old French 'despoillier' while following modern English conjugation patterns.

Kelly Says

In Shakespeare and biblical literature, 'despoils' appears regularly—it's an older-sounding word that gives dramatic weight to scenes of theft, which is why you still see it in fantasy and historical fiction.

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