Stole goods from a place or person, especially during a raid or conquest; plundered.
From Old French 'piller' (to plunder), possibly related to 'paille' (straw), implying stripping everything down to the straw. The sense has stayed violent and thorough across centuries.
The word 'pillage' implies total devastation—not just stealing but stripping a place bare of resources—so historians use it to describe the aftermath of Viking raids and conquests. What's fascinating is that the conquerors themselves didn't call it 'pillaging'; every civilization thinks of its looting as justified acquisition.
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