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Expropriate Latin Verb Possession Adjective English Proprius Property

Expropriate means to deprive of possession or proprietary rights, or to transfer the property of another to one's own possession. It comes from the Latin 'expropriare', a combination of 'ex-' (out of) and 'proprius' (own).

Expropiar significa privar de posesión o derechos de propiedad, o transferir la propiedad de otro a la propia posesión. Proviene del latín 'expropriare', una combinación de 'ex-' (fuera) y 'proprius' (propio).

Word expropriate
Date July 23, 2021
Type verb
Syllables ek-SPROH-pree-ayt
Etymology If you guessed that expropriate has something in common with the verb appropriate, you're right. Both words ultimately derive from the Latin adjective proprius, meaning "own." Expropriate came to English by way of the Medieval Latin verb expropriare, itself from Latin ex- ("out of" or "from") and proprius. Appropriate descends from Late Latin appropriare, which joins proprius and Latin ad- ("to" or "toward"). Both the verb appropriate ("to take possession of" or "to set aside for a particular use") and the adjective appropriate ("fitting" or "suitable") have been with us since the 15th century, and expropriate was officially appropriated in the 17th century. Other proprius descendants in English include proper and property.
Examples The city council rejected a proposal to expropriate private property for the highway expansion.

"Newspapers, in particular, have had their content unfairly expropriated by the lords of the internet, even as the advertising that once sustained the news business has been snatched away by the same online behemoths." — David Horsey, The Seattle Times,18 Mar. 2021
Definition 1 : to deprive of possession or proprietary rights
2 : to transfer (the property of another) to one's own possession

Tags: wordoftheday::verb

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