Expropriate
/ˌɛk.sproʊ.priˈeɪt/noun
To take property away from its owner, often for public use or by authority.
Did you know?Expropriate comes from Latin expropriare, literally “to make one’s own,” showing how authority could flip ownership into a bureaucratic spell of seizure.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
expropriare
“to make one’s own; to take as one’s own”
Late Latin
Latin
expropriat-
“taken for oneself; appropriated”
14th–15th Century
Anglo-French
exproprier
“to dispossess; to take away property”
16th Century
English
expropriate
“to take away property, especially by authority”
Modern English
English
expropriate
“to deprive an owner of property, often for public use or legal authority”
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