dep ‧ re ‧ da ‧ tion /ˌdeprəˈdeɪʃ ə n, ˌdeprɪˈdeɪʃ ə n/ BrE AmE noun [countable usually plural] formal
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: French ; Origin: déprédation , from Latin depraedari 'to steal and destroy' ]
an act of taking or destroying something