See Also: Spoil(medicine)
spoil(1)(dictionary)
spoil(2)(dictionary)
spoil 1, verb(dictionary)
spoil 2, noun(dictionary)

spoil(2) (iou)



spoil verb. . ME.
[Aphet. from Old French espoillier from Latin spoliare, from spolium skin stripped from an animal, booty, or aphet. from DESPOIL verb.]
verb trans. Rob or plunder (a person or place) forcibly of goods or valuables, as in war; pillage, ransack; spec. strip (a dead or defeated enemy) of weapons and armour; gen. deprive or strip of possessions, clothes, etc., esp. illicitly or stealthily. (Foll. by of.) arch. or literary. ME.
G. Macdonald They proceeded, by spoiling the country houses.., to make a quite luxurious provision. W. C. Bryant So did..Ajax spoil the corpse of Simo?sus.
verb trans. Seize (goods) by force or violence, carry off as booty; steal. arch. LME.
verb intrans. Engage in pillage. arch. LME.
Sir W. Scott A soldier! then you have..sacked and spoiled?
verb refl. Divest or rid oneself of sins etc. LME-L16.
verb trans. Carve, cut up, (a hen). LME-M18.
verb trans. Damage, esp. so as to make unfit or useless; diminish or destroy the value or quality of; prevent full enjoyment or development of; mar, ruin. M16.
G. Greene He would get wet..and spoil his only suit. P. Pearce He resolved not to let..disappointment spoil his enjoyment. L. Hellman A handsome old house.., the windows spoiled with ugly draperies. E. North Whitby was spoiled,..full of amusement arcades. Proverb: Too many cooks spoil the broth.
b. Make (a ballot paper) invalid, by improper marking, defacing, etc. L19.
verb trans.
a. Destroy, bring to an end, kill. L16-E18.
b. Inflict serious bodily injury on. Now slang. L16.
a. verb trans. Injure the character of (esp. a child) by overindulgence or undue lenience (freq. as spoiled ppl adjective); gen. treat with great or excessive consideration or kindness. L17.
J. Galsworthy Fleur does what she likes. You've always spoiled her.
b. verb trans. & intrans. Prevent or obstruct the success of (a person, undertaking, etc.) in sport etc. Freq. in spoiling tactics. E19.
verb intrans. Esp. of food: become unfit for use; deteriorate, go bad, decay. L17.
M. Gardiner She had made the supper and refused to let it spoil.
b. Be very eager for a fight etc., desire greatly to do something. M19.
E. M. Forster Durham..would be found..in his room and spoiling to argue. R. Frame I was spoiling for a fight.
Phrases: make a spoon or spoil a horn: see SPOON noun. spoil a person for impair a person's appreciation of by making accustomed to something better. spoil a person rotten: see ROTTEN adverb. spoilt for choice having so many choices as to make it difficult to choose.
Comb.: spoil-five Cards = twenty-five (b) s.v. TWENTY.
spoilable adjective able to be spoiled, capable of spoiling M17.
spoiled ppl adjective that has been spoiled, damaged, or (arch.) plundered;
spoiled nun,
spoiled priest: that has repudiated her or his vocation: LME.
spoilt ppl adjective = spoiled E19.