rapine

Rapine is a noun meaning the seizure of property by force, especially during warfare or civil disorder, accompanied by violence and lawlessness. The term derives from Old French rapine, from Latin rapina "taking away, plunder," itself from rapere "to seize." In English, rapine is typically used in historical or literary contexts and is often paired with pillage or plunder to emphasize violent looting rather than ordinary theft.

Historically, rapine has described the looting that accompanies sieges, battles, and the sacking of cities. Chronicles of the medieval period and modern histories alike use the word to convey the brutality of conquest. Notable episodes such as the sack of Constantinople in 1204 or later sackings have been described in terms of rapine in some accounts, though the term is now mostly found in retrospective or descriptive writing.

In contemporary international law, looting during armed conflict is addressed as a crime against property and protected civilians under the laws of war; rapine as a historic or literary label remains confined mainly to non-technical usage. The word survives in academic and cultural discussion as a compact way to condemn the violence of conquest and to distinguish it from lawful requisition or sanctioned spoils.

Related terms include pillage, plunder, and looting.