Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SPOIL, v.t. [Fr. spolier; It. spogliare; L. spolio; W. yspeiliaw. The sense is probably to pull asunder, to tear, to strip; coinciding with L. vello, or with peel, or with both. See Class Bl, No. 7, 8, 15, 32.]

1. To plunder; to strip by violence; to rob; with of; as, to spoil one of his goods or possessions. My sons their old unhappy sire despise, / Spoil'd of his kingdom, and depriv'd of his eyes. – Pope.
2. To seize by violence; to take by force; as, to spoil one's goods. This mount / With all his verdure spoil'd. – Milton.
3. [Sax. spillan.] To corrupt; to cause to decay and perish. Heat and moisture will soon spoil vegetable and animal substances.
4. To corrupt; to vitiate; to mar. Spiritual pride spoils many graces. – Taylor.
5. To ruin; to destroy. Our crops are sometimes spoiled by insects.
6. To render useless by injury; as, to spoil paper by wetting it.
7. To injure fatally; as, to spoil the eyes by reading.