ransack
pronunciation
How to pronounce ransack in British English:
UK [ˈrænsæk]
How to pronounce ransack in American English:
US [ˈrænˌsæk]
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- Verb:
- steal goods; take as spoils
- search thoroughly
Word Origin
- ransack
- ransack: [13] Ransack means etymologically ‘search a house’. It was borrowed from Old Norse rannsaka, a compound verb formed from rann ‘house’ (a relative of Old English ærn ‘house’, which underlies English barn) and -saka ‘search’ (a relative of English seek). A now defunct derivative was ransackle or ranshackle, from which we get modern English ramshackle [19].=> barn, ramshackle, seek
- ransack (v.)
- mid-13c., from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse rannsaka "to pillage," literally "search the house" (especially legally, for stolen goods), from rann "house," from Proto-Germanic *raznan (c.f. Gothic razn, Old English ærn "house;" see barn) + saka "to search," related to Old Norse soekja "seek" (see seek). Sense influenced by sack (v.). Related: Ransacked; ransacking.
Example
- 1. The woman ransack ed the house for her lost jewelry .
- 2. Rather than wallow in nostalgia , he wants to ransack the past and strike out into the future .
- 3. Some also fear that he will ransack volvo 's intellectual property to boost geely 's less sophisticated cars .
- 4. The elusive word is on the tip of my tongue , let me ransack the dictionary for it .
- 5. Special security forces would ransack the family home in the province of hakkari .