Usurp
/juːˈzɜːrp/noun
To seize and hold a position, power, or property without legal right.
Did you know?Usurp comes through Old French from Latin usurpare, a verb originally meaning to take or enjoy something by established use, not necessarily by force.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
usurpare
“to take for use; to appropriate; later, to seize or make use of”
Classical Latin
Latin
usus
“use, practice, enjoyment”
Proto-Italic
PIE
*h₁ed- / *wes-
“root connected with dwelling, staying, or being in use; the deeper etymology is uncertain in detail”
Old French
Old French
usurper
“to seize, appropriate, or take wrongfully”
Middle English
English
usurpen
“to seize authority or property unlawfully”
Modern English
English
usurp
“to seize and hold power or authority without legal right”