noun
spoliation
spoh-lee-AY-shun/ˌspoʊliˈeɪʃən/
Destructive interference that lays something waste.
The spoliation of historic sites leaves entire communities without landmarks.
Etymology
The verb originally included stripping someone of clothing or a slain enemy of arms. That image of forcibly taking things away underlies spoliation as plundering or ravaging property.
More examples
- The museum documents the spoliation of temples during the war.
- Unchecked mining causes lasting spoliation of the surrounding landscape.
- Deleting those files may constitute spoliation of evidence.
Forms
spoliation
Similar words
- devastation
- Emphasizes widespread ruin rather than the act of destructive interference.
- plundering
- Focuses on forcibly taking valuables rather than destruction alone.
- destruction
- More general; need not involve looting or deliberate interference.