Poachings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of illegally hunting or capturing wildlife, often for profit or personal use
2. The practice of taking or stealing someone else's ideas, resources, or employees for one's own gain
3. Engaging in the unauthorized taking of eggs or young from the nests of birds or other animals, typically resulting in harm to their populations

Etymology: "Poachings" is simply the plural of "poaching," the noun for taking game or fish illegally, usually on land belonging to someone else. The plural form points to the many separate acts of such taking, rather than the activity as a whole. For the history of the root, see the entry for "poaching."