ransack
/ˈɹænsæk/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.07 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To search (a place, through things, etc.) thoroughly, especially when vigorous and leaving behind a state of disarray.
Transitive verb
verb
To search (someone or a place) thoroughly in order to steal something, especially when vigorous and leaving behind a state of disarray; hence, to rob (someone or a place); to plunder.
Transitive verb
verb
To examine (someone or something) carefully; to investigate; also, to question (someone) thoroughly; to interrogate.
Archaic; Transitive verb
Example Sentences
- "What a ſorowe hath it been to ſome of vs when the deuils hath in deſpightfull mockage, caſt in our teeth our olde loue borne to our money, and then ſhewed vs our executours as buſily ryfling ⁊ ranſaking our houſes as though they wer men of warre that had taken a towne by force."
- "He hath ranſaked all the chyſtes I haue for his beades: […]"
- "She [a hen] scratches, ransacks up the earth for food, / Which they [chicks] partake at pleasure."
- "to ransack a house for valuables"
- "If they thought howe ſoone in what painefull plight they ſhall lye a dying, while theyr executours afore their face ranſake vp theyr ſackes, they woulde I wene ſhortly empty theyr ſackes themſelues."
- "In Troy there lyes the Scene: From Iles of Greece / The Princes Orgillous, their high blood chaf'd / Haue to the Port of Athens ſent their ſhippes / […] their vovv is made / To ranſacke Troy, vvithin vvhoſe ſtrong emures / The rauiſh'd Helen, Menelaus Queene, / VVith vvanton Paris ſleepes, and that's the Quarrell."
Etymology
The verb is derived from Middle English ransaken (“to examine, investigate; to rob, plunder, steal; to search, seek; to treat roughly, mistreat”), from Old Norse rannsaka (“to search a house (especially for stolen goods)”), from rann (“house”) (from Proto-Germanic *razną (“dwelling, house”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁- (“to rest; quiet”)) + saka, an ablaut variant of sœkja, sǿkja (“to look for, search, seek”) (from Proto-Germanic *sōkijaną (“to look for, seek”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂g- (“to follow; to seek out, trace”)). Verb senses 1.2 (“to search (someone, or a place) thoroughly in order to steal something”), 1.3 (“to search for and steal (something) as plunder”), and 2.2 (“to search for and steal things”) are probably influenced by sack (“to pillage, to plunder”). The noun is derived from the verb. cognates * Middle Low German rānsāken, rantsāken * Old Danish randsage, ransage (modern Danish ransage) * Old Swedish ransaka (modern Swedish rannsaka)
Origin
Word Breakdown
Usage
Inflected Forms
ransacks (present, singular)
ransacking (participle, present)
ransacked (participle, past)
ransacked (past)
no-table-tags (table tags)
glossary (inflection template)
ransacked (first person, past)
ransackest (archaic, present)
ransacked (past, second person)
ransackedst (archaic, past)
ransacketh (archaic, present)
ransacked (past, singular)