Seize
/siːz/noun
To take hold of forcibly or suddenly; to grab or capture.
Did you know?English ‘seize’ came through French from Latin legal language, where related forms were used for taking or setting apart property, showing how power and ownership were baked into the word’s history.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sed-
“to sit, settle”
Latin
Latin
sedēre
“to sit, remain seated”
Late Latin
Latin
sēdere / sēcīre
“to take possession of, annex”
Old French
Old French
seisir
“to take possession of; to grasp”
Middle English
English
seisen
“to take possession of, especially by legal authority”
Modern English
English
seize
“to take hold of suddenly or forcibly”