Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
SPOIL
I. noun
Etymology: Middle English spoile, from Anglo-French espuille, from espuiller
Date: 14th century
1. plunder taken from an enemy in war or from a victim in robbery ; loot , public offices made the property of a successful party, something valuable or desirable gained through special effort or opportunism or in return for a favor,
2. spoliation , plundering, the act of damaging ; harm , impairment, an object of plundering ; prey , earth and rock excavated or dredged, an object damaged or flawed in the making, Synonyms: see: spoil
II. verb (spoiled; also spoilt; spoiling) see: spill
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1. despoil , strip , pillage , rob , to seize by force,
3. to damage seriously ; ruin , to impair the quality or effect of ,
4. to impair the disposition or character of by overindulgence or excessive praise, to pamper excessively ; coddle , intransitive verb to practice plunder and robbery, to lose valuable or useful qualities usually as a result of decay , to have an eager desire , see: decay spoilable adjective