pillage

looting, pillaging

noun pee-YAZH Rare

Usage Note

Pillage derives from the verb piller (to loot) and refers to the systematic plundering of goods, whether in wartime or during civil unrest. The agent noun pillard means a looter. In contemporary French media, pillage is used for both historical events (wartime plunder) and modern incidents (shop looting during riots).

Examples

"Le pillage des magasins a choqué la population."

Natural Translation

The looting of the shops shocked the population.

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