Expilation

/ˌɛkspɪˈleɪʃən/ noun

Definition

The act of robbing, plundering, or stripping of possessions; theft on a large scale.

Etymology

From Latin expilatio, derived from expilare (to rob). The noun form exists primarily in historical, legal, and archaic texts, marking it as an old English term rarely used today.

Kelly Says

Medieval legal documents used 'expilation' as an official term for organized plunder—showing how even theft and robbery had formal names in the legal language of the time.

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