Ransack
/ˈræn.sæk/noun
To search a place thoroughly and often roughly or destructively, especially while stealing.
Did you know?The first part likely comes from Old Norse *rann* (“house, hall”), which is why the word originally carried the sense of violently searching a dwelling for plunder.
Etymological Timeline
Old Norse
ON
rann
“house, hall”
Old Norse
ON
saka
“to seek, search, accuse”
Middle English
ME
ransaken
“to search a house thoroughly, especially for plunder”
16th Century
English
ransack
“to search and plunder a place”
Modern English
English
ransack
“to search a place thoroughly and roughly, often causing damage”