Rapine
/ˈræpɪn/noun
The violent seizure of property; plunder or pillage.
Did you know?Rapine entered English through French and Latin, and for centuries it carried the legal and moral weight of warfare, theft, and state-sanctioned pillaging.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
rapīna
“plunder, seizure, robbery”
Classical Latin
Latin
rapere
“to seize, snatch, carry off by force”
Old French
Old French
rapine
“plunder, pillage”
Middle English
English
rapine
“plunder, violent seizure of property”
Modern English
English
rapine
“violent seizure of property; pillage”