Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PLUNDER
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pronounce
PLUNDER:
Say it "PLUN dur."
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connect this word to others:
As slogans go, it may not be an honorable one. But as definitions go, it's a good one for our word plunder.
To plunder is to steal, to rob, to ransack a place and grab what you can. It's something a pirate might do while m____ding, or roaming around menacingly, wreaking havoc. Can you recall that word?
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definition:
We took "plunder" from a German word meaning "to take away goods and furniture (from a household)."
We've used "plunder" for hundreds of years to describe the kind of wild, lawless stealing that goes on during a war or an invasion.
That is, to plunder things is to steal them, as if all hell is breaking loose and you're grabbing whatever you can in greed or desperation.
And, your plunder is the stuff that you stole in this way.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Both a verb ("They plundered the diamonds") and a noun ("They got away with their plunder: the diamonds").
Other forms:
The common ones are "plundered" and "plundering."
We've also got "plunderous," "plunderable," "plunderer(s)," and "plunderess(es)."
And, an alternate noun is "plunderage," which can mean both the action of plundering ("This plunderage must be stopped") and the stuff that got plundered ("This plunderage must be returned").
And, because a "bund" (sometimes capitalized, "Bund") is some lowdown group of people who remind you of pro-Nazi Americans, a "plunderbund" is a group of people who've banded together to steal from the public. "Plunderbund" is slangy and rare, but funny-sounding and easily understood in context--so, enjoy it!
how to use it:
When you need a dire, dramatic, pirate-y alternative to the word "steal," pick "plunder."
Talk about people plundering things, or plundering places: "They plundered the jewelry from the graves;" "They plundered the graves."
You might talk about plundered places, or about people being plundered of things. Here's Ta-Nehisi Coates: "We are plundered of our dignity, of our families, of our wealth, and of our lives."
You can get figurative and talk about people plundering an idea, an argument, a tune for a song, a plot for a story, a sentence or paragraph for an essay, etc.
examples:
Although a good pirate is, practically by definition, someone who's skilled in pillaging and plundering, Disney writes its own definitions:
"There were no NPC villains, monsters, or aliens for me to fight, so there was no treasure or magic items for me to plunder."
— Ernest Cline, Ready Player One, 2011
has this page helped you understand "plunder"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "plunder" without saying "rob" or "ransack."
try it out:
Although the tone of "plunder" is often quite serious and violent, it can also be playful, suggesting a gleeful or even creative spree of grabbing old things to use in new ways.
Here's an example from Howard Goodall's The Story of Music: "The Beatles had plundered music hall, centuries-old Anglo-Celtic folk and the sounds of the 1960s electronic avant-garde."
Talk about another musician, artist, writer, cook, or other creator who plundered freely from various sources.
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game this month is Crossword Clues: Movie Titles!
Use the movie title as a clue to come up with a word we've studied. For example, if the clue is "The Great Escape. 6 letters. _ E C _ M _," then the answer is "DECAMP," a word meaning "to get the heck out of there." To see the answer, scroll all the way down. Enjoy!
Try this one today:
Slumdog Millionaire.
8 letters.
_ X _ _ _ _ O N.
review this word:
A. DONATE.
B. SURFACE.
C. WITHDRAW.
2.
Lillian Stone joked, "Thank you for joining our gym... After 10 visits, you'll be able to hoist anchor and row west across the briny seas... Your [current] body is weak, fleshy, and wholly unable to plunder _____."
A. a bone-dry sliver of chicken above your head
B. a Scandinavian village with brutal efficiency
C. absolutely still, like a wax statue of a Viking
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
We took "plunder" from a German word meaning "to take away goods and furniture (from a household)."
Part of speech:
When you need a dire, dramatic, pirate-y alternative to the word "steal," pick "plunder."
Although a good pirate is, practically by definition, someone who's skilled in pillaging and plundering, Disney writes its own definitions:
Explain the meaning of "plunder" without saying "rob" or "ransack."
Although the tone of "plunder" is often quite serious and violent, it can also be playful, suggesting a gleeful or even creative spree of grabbing old things to use in new ways.
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
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