Confiscate
/ˈkɒn.fɪ.skeɪt/noun
To seize property, usually by authority, especially as a penalty.
Did you know?In Roman law, confiscare meant taking a person’s goods for the fiscus, the emperor’s treasury—so the word is built on the language of state power, not theft.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
confiscare
“to seize property for the treasury”
Late Latin
Late Latin
confiscatus
“seized for the fiscus, the imperial treasury”
Old French
Old French
confisquer
“to seize as forfeited property”
14th–15th Century
English
confiscaten
“to seize by authority, especially as punishment”
Modern English
English
confiscate
“to seize property by legal authority”
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