Evict
/ɪˈvɪkt/noun
To force someone to leave a property, especially by legal authority.
Did you know?Evict comes from Latin legal language, where evincere meant “to conquer completely,” and its cousin evictus was tied to being driven out by force, giving the word its cold, authoritarian edge.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
evincere
“to conquer completely; overcome”
Latin
Latin
evictus
“driven out; overcome”
Late Latin
Latin
evictus
“to dispossess or force out”
Middle English
English
evicten
“to dispossess by legal action”
Modern English
English
evict
“to force someone to leave property, usually by law”
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