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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread spoliation #35550 07/13/2001 6:35 AM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 315 Italy - Perugia is a town with... emanuela enthusiast emanuela enthusiast Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 315 Italy - Perugia is a town with... I have to add something to the word of the day, because I feel that there is something missing in the explanation given by AWAD - at least for English speakers. The first meaning of "spogliare" coming in my mind is "to undress" - from this meaning the others meanings come in this way : after a battle, the winners take all the clothes - and, by extension, all the valuable things - of the losers, leaving them naked and without anything...from this idea, the meaning of plundering. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: spoliation #35551 07/13/2001 12:43 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 To the victor belong the spoils. Like Hannibal's bushel of Roman signet rings after Cannae.And losing knights in battle being stripped of their armour. But the principal victim today is the environment being spoliated by clear-cut logging, pit mining, and massive pollution. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: spoliation #35552 07/13/2001 4:19 PM Joined: Sep 2000 Posts: 4,757 maverick Carpal Tunnel maverick Carpal Tunnel Joined: Sep 2000 Posts: 4,757 Thanks for that interesting context, Emanuela. Am I right, o Latin scholars, that the English spoil comes from ME spoilen (via pardon my French) from the Latin spolium meaning plunder or booty? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: spoliation #35553 07/19/2001 12:46 PM Joined: Aug 2000 Posts: 2,204 RhubarbCommando Pooh-Bah RhubarbCommando Pooh-Bah Joined: Aug 2000 Posts: 2,204 Hmmm - this is interesting. This means that, if you are right, mav (and I have no reason to believe otherwise) "spoil", strictly speaking, means to make something unuseable or unattractive by taking things away from it. Which is far from the frequent, modern usage, where you can spoil your picture by ADDING too much paint, or spoil your shirt-front by adding indelible ink (or curry paste - much the same thing in far too many English restaurants!) Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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