Emily Dickinson Lexicon

RAN'SACK, v.t. [Dan. randsager; Sw. ransaka; Gaelic, ransuchadh. Rand, in Danish, is edge, margin, Eng. rand, and ran is rapine. The last syllable coincides with the English verb to sack, to pillage, and in Spanish, this verb, which is written saquear, signifies to ransack.]

1. To plunder; to pillage completely; to strip by plundering; as, to ransack a house or city. – Dryden. Their vow is made to ransack Troy. – Shak.
2. To search thoroughly; to enter and search every place or part. It seems often to convey the sense of opening doors and parcels, and turning over things in search; as, to ransack files of papers. I ransack the several caverns. – Woodward.
3. To violate; to radish; to detour; as, ransacked chastity. [Not in use.] – Spenser.