rapine
Other forms: rapines
Use the noun rapine when you're talking about the deliberate destruction of a town or country during war, especially when it involves theft.
Unfortunately, rapine is a part of most warfare — invading troops destroying buildings and homes as they advance, taking whatever they choose. It's more commonly called plunder or pillage, with rapine being used most often in a literary context. The Latin root is rapina, "act of robbery," which in turn comes from rapere, "seize" or "carry off."
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the act of despoiling a country in warfaresynonyms: rape
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From the Inventor of the Detective Mystery: "Rapine"
Vocabulary lists containing rapine
In this epic poem, clever Odysseus attempts to find his way home after the end of the Trojan War. Learn these words from the translation by Robert Fitzgerald. Here are links to our lists for the book: Books 1–7, Books 8–13, Books 14–18, Books 19–24
Jay Aubrey Jones pronounced more than 36,000 words for Vocabulary.com (including laurel). Here are some of the most esoteric. See if you can spell them while listening to the dulcet tones of Jay's voice!
Milton's masterpiece retells the Biblical story of humanity's fall from divine favor. Read the full text of the twelve-book version of the epic poem here.