Etymology of the English word despoil
the English word
despoilderived from the Old French word
despoillierderived from the Latin word
despoliare (rob, plunder; despoil)
using the Late Latin prefix
de-derived from the Latin word
de (away; down)
derived from the Latin word
spoliare (rob, strip; despoil)
derived from the Latin word
spolium (spoils, booty; skin; skin stripped off an animal)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*spol-yo-derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*spel- (to split off)
Date
The earliest known usage of despoil in English dates from the 13th century.
Derivations in English
despoiled,
despoilingUsage
Word found in Modern English
