Meanings
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1
verb
to plunder or strip of possessions, valuables, or beauty by force
Invading armies despoiled the temples of their golden ornaments.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Old French despoillier, from Latin despoliare ('to plunder, rob'), from de- (intensive) + spoliare ('to strip, rob'), from spolium ('booty, hide stripped from an animal').
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