▪ I. despoil, n.
(dɪˈspɔɪl)
[ME. a. OF. despoille, -pueille (= Pr. despuelha), verbal n. from despoillier: see next.]
1. The action of despoiling; plundering, robbery. arch.
| 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 24 b/2 Stronge in his despoylle..wel armed in the batayll. a 1530 Wolsey to Hen. VIII (in Athenæum 12 Sept. 1840), My houses be,—by the over⁓sight, dispoil, and euill behaviour of such as I did trust,—in ruyn and decaye. 1590 Greene Neuer too late (1600) 57 Thou hast had my despoyle. 1807 Wordsw. White Doe vii. 18 'Tis done;—despoil and desolation O'er Rylstone's fair domain have blown. |
† 2. concr. Plunder, booty, spoil. Obs.
| 1474 Caxton Chesse ii. iv. C vij, So shold the dispoyle and botye be comune vnto them. 1481 ― Godfrey 296 Euery man laden and charged with despoylles. 1552 Huloet, Despoyle, spolium, tropheum. 1619 Time's Storehouse 55 (L.) Hercules..covered with the despoyle of a lyon. |
3. (See quot.)
| 1552 Huloet, Despoyle, or place where mischiefe or robberye is done, dispoliabulum. |
▪ II. despoil, v.
(dɪˈspɔɪl)
Forms: 3–4 despuile(n, 3–7 despoile, -oyle, 6–7 despoyl, 6– despoil; also 4 des-, dispoyly, dispuile, -uyle, 4–5 dyspoyle, 4–7 dispoile, -oyle, 5 des-, dis-, dyspoille, -oylle, dispole, disspoylle, 6–7 dispoil; Sc. 4–5 dispulȝe, -puilȝe.
[ME. despuilen, -spoile-n, a. OF. despuillier, -oillier, -oiller (mod.F. dépouiller) = Pr. despolhar, Cat. despullar, Sp. despojar, It. dispogliare:—L. dēspoliāre to plunder, rob, despoil, f. de- I. 3 + spoliāre to strip of clothing, rob, spoil. Formerly spelt dis- by confusion with words in des- from dis- prefix.]
1. trans. To strip of possessions by violence; to plunder, rob, spoil: a. a person.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 212 Þe oþere after vaste, And slowe & despoylede, and to grounde hem caste. 1340 Ayenb. 45 Þe uerste [zenne] is couaytise uor to wynne and uor to dispoyly his uelaȝe. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xiv. 58 Robbours and reuers þat riche men dispoilen. 1484 Caxton Fables of æsop i. iv, The euylle hongry peple which..robben and despoillen the poure folke. 1529 More Dyaloge i. Wks. 153/2 The Ebrues well dispoile the Egypcyens. 1795 Southey Joan of Arc iii. 176 We are not yet So utterly despoil'd but we can spread The friendly board. 1871 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) IV. xvii. 36 To despoil those whom the Conqueror himself had spared. |
b. a place; also transf. and fig.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce xiii. 502 Qwhen the feld..Wes dispulȝeit, and left all bair. 1393 Gower Conf. III. 371 Despuiled is the somer fare. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) x. 114 Oure Lord descended to Helle & despoyled it. 1601 Weever Mirr. Mart. F ij, Enuie..Despoil's his name and robs him of his merits. 1840 Dickens Barn. Rudge xvi, The coach..despoiled by highway-men. 1845 Stephen Laws Eng. (1874) II. 219 Though guilty in general of waste, if he despoils the freehold. 1873 Dixon Two Queens IV. xxii. viii. 215 Wolsey had set the fashion of despoiling and suppressing convents. |
2. To strip or deprive (a person, etc.) violently of (some possession); to rob: a. of arms, clothes, or something material; also transf.
| c 1300 K. Alis. 4028 That he a knyght of Grece slowgh, And dispoyled him of his armes. c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. ¶591 He was despoyled of al that he hadde in this lyf, and that nas but his clothis. c 1470 Henry Wallace xi. 1396 Bot than he was dispuilȝeit off his weid. 1600 Fairfax Tasso xiii. l. 244 An others hands Of these her plants the wood dispoilen shall. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1638) 309 Theeues..dispoiling him of his apparell. 1614 Raleigh Hist. World ii. 450 Athalia being thus dispoyled of her Son. 1659 B. Harris Parival's Iron Age 172 The Swedes, being..despoiled of the Isle of Usedon. 1695 Woodward Nat. Hist. Earth v. (1723) 257 These formed Stones being by this Means despoil'd of their Shells. 1775 Johnson Lett. to Mrs. Thrale 12 May, You talked of despoiling his book of the fine print. 1776 Gibbon Decl. & F. I. xvii. 440 The cities of Greece and Asia were despoiled of their most valuable ornaments. 1870 Bryant Iliad I. iv. 132 He could not despoil The slain man of his armor. |
b. of things immaterial; also fig.
| c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxxii. 145 We bene in peess, of þe whilk þou will now dispoile vs. 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. 212 b, We do not despoyle will of her libertye. 1593 Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, ii. iii. 10 Despoyled of your Honor. 1667 Milton P.L. ix. 411 Despoild of Innocence, of Faith, of Bliss. 1878 B. Taylor Deukalion i. iii. 30 They..despoiled thy head Of separate honor. |
† 3. spec. To strip of clothes, to disrobe: a. orig. as an act of violence, spoliation, or robbery. Obs.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 260 Vor steorc naked he was despuiled oðe rode. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 3031 To Gy tok he þat cors: ‘Dispoille þis body’, þan gan he saye; ‘& arme þe on ys wede’. 1485 Caxton Chas. Gt. 88 Take these frensshe men and despoyle them. |
† b. without the notion of spoliation: To undress; to strip of armour, vestments, etc. Obs.
| c 1340 Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 860 Þer he watz dispoyled, wyth spechez of myerþe, Þe burn of his bruny, & of his bryȝt wedez. c 1386 Chaucer Clerk's T. 318 He had That wommen schuld despoilen hir right there. c 1450 Merlin 463 Thei made dispoile the quene to go to hir bedde. 1525 Ld. Berners Froiss. II. ccxlv. [ccxli.] 753 Before the aulter ther he was dispoyled out of all his vestures of estate. 1540 Surrey Poems, Prisoner in Windsor 13 Despoiled for the game. 1561 Norton & Sackv. Gorboduc iv. ii. (1847) 142 We..Dispoyled streight his brest, and all we might, Wyped in vaine, with napkyns next at hande. 1700 Dryden Palamon & Arc. iii. 725 The surgeons soon despoiled them of their arms, And some with salves they cure, and some with charms. |
† c. refl. To disrobe or undress oneself, put off one's clothes. Obs.
| 1388 Wyclif 1 Sam. xviii. 4 Jonathas dispuylide him silf fro the coote. 1470–85 Malory Arthur vii. xii, Pryuely she dispoylled her & leid her doune by hym. c 1477 Caxton Jason 106 Dispoylle you and entre in to this bathe. 1483 ― Gold. Leg. 85 b/1 He dyspoylled and unclad hym and gaf hys clothys unto the bochyers. |
† d. To take off (clothes). Obs.
| 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 62 b/1 Moyses toke Aaron upon the hylle & despoylled of his vesture. ― Esope 2 b, The lord commaunded to despoylle and take of his clothes. |
† e. with double obj.: To strip (a person) of (clothes). Obs.
| 1632 Sir T. Hawkins tr. Mathieu's Vnhappy Prosp. 1 When the play is ended..they are dispoyled the gawdy garments of the personage represented. |
† 4. To strip of worth, value, or use; to render useless, mar, destroy; to spoil. Obs.
| ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 4127 Paynymes..With speres disspetousely disspoylles our knyghttes. c 1539 Plumpton Corr. 235 A action of trespas against..Robart Oliver for dispoyling my gras. 1685 [see despoiled]. |
† 5. To make a spoil of (goods, etc.); to carry off by violence, rob, plunder. Obs.
| 1483 Caxton Cato B iij, To dyspoyle and rauisshe hys neyghbours goodes. 1604 R. Cawdrey Table Alph., Dispoyle, take away by violence. |
† b. To remove forcibly, take away. Obs.
| a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) K ij, It is necessary to dispoyle the opilacions and leattes of the stomake. |
Hence deˈspoiled, deˈspoiling ppl. adjs.
| 1570–6 Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) 146 A poore, private, and despoiled person. 1685 Travestin Siege Newheusel 43 The besieged..again put in order the late dispoiled Battery. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 130 Despoiled proprietors. 1859 C. Barker Associative Princ. i. 17 The despoiling hands of the first reformers. |