pillard

looter, pillager

noun pee-YAR Rare

Origin: From piller, 'to plunder', from Latin piliare

Usage Note

Pillard refers to a person who loots during a conflict, disaster, or riot. The feminine form is pillarde. The related verb piller and noun pillage share the same root. Historically the word described marauding soldiers; today it appears in news coverage of post-disaster looting.

Examples

"Les pillards ont vidé les magasins après l'émeute."

Natural Translation

The looters emptied the shops after the riot.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

FrenchNow

Avoir or Être? Picking the Right Past-Tense Helper

Use avoir for the passé composé unless the verb is reflexive or one of ~16 DR MRS VANDERTRAMP motion verbs, which take être and force agreement.

June 4, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

Faire in French: To Make, To Do, and More

Faire in French means more than make and do: master faire vs rendre, weather and sports idioms, the causative, and the mistakes English speakers make.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

French Numbers 1 to 100: Count With Confidence

French numbers 1 to 100 in one complete chart, with pronunciation, the et-un rule, hyphens, and the four-twenties system explained so you can count anywhere.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

Aller + Infinitive: The Easy French Future

Form the French near future in seconds: conjugate aller in the present and add an infinitive. Learn futur proche rules, negation, pronouns, and when to use it.

June 4, 2026 6 min read