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despoil

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

To spoil or ruin something, often by taking away its value or beauty.

Detailed Definition
The term 'despoil' refers to the act of stripping something of its value or beauty, often through theft or destruction. In the context of the poem, it conveys the speaker's desire to protect the rose from any harm or degradation, emphasizing the fragility of beauty and the lengths one might go to preserve it.
Example
Example in poetry:
"I fenced it safely in with grateful toil. No other hand than mine shall pluck this flower" (to strip or rob); "The conqueror despoils the city" (war); "Time despoils all beauty" (mortality); "Despoil not the innocent" (moral); "The storm despoils the orchard" (nature)
Additional Notes
The word 'despoil' is used to express the speaker's intent to protect the rose from being ruined.; Found in the poem, Fulfilment by Paul Laurence Dunbar
Also Known As
plunder ravage strip pillage
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