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spoliation

American  
[spoh-lee-ey-shuhn] / ˌspoʊ liˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. the act or an instance of plundering or despoiling.

  2. authorized plundering of neutrals at sea in time of war.

  3. Law. the destruction or material alteration of a bill of exchange, will, or the like.

  4. the act of spoiling or damaging something.

spoliation British  
/ ˌspəʊlɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

  1. the act or an instance of despoiling or plundering

  2. the authorized seizure or plundering of neutral vessels on the seas by a belligerent state in time of war

  3. law the material alteration of a document so as to render it invalid

  4. English ecclesiastical law the taking of the fruits of a benefice by a person not entitled to them

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • spoliatory adjective

Etymology

Origin of spoliation

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin spoliātiōn- (stem of spoliātiō ), equivalent to spoliāt ( us ) (past participle of spoliāre to spoil; -ate 1 ) + -iōn- -ion

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.