seized

Main Entry:: seize
Pronunciation:: \ˈsēz\
Function:: verb
Inflected Form(s):: seized; seiz·ing
Etymology:: Middle English saisen, from Anglo-French seisir, from Medieval Latin sacire, of Germanic origin; perhaps akin to Old High German sezzen to set — more at set
Date:: 14th century

transitive verb1 ausually seise

\ˈsēz\ : to vest ownership of a freehold estate in boften seise

: to put in possession of something <the biographer will be seized of all pertinent papers>2 a: to take possession of : confiscate b: to take possession of by legal process3 a: to possess or take by force : capture b: to take prisoner : arrest4 a: to take hold of : clutch b: to possess oneself of : grasp c: to understand fully and distinctly : apprehend5 a: to attack or overwhelm physically : afflict <seized with chest pains> b: to possess (as one's mind) completely or overwhelmingly <seized the popular imagination — Basil Davenport>6: to bind or fasten together with a lashing of small stuff (as yarn, marline, or fine wire)intransitive verb1: to take or lay hold suddenly or forcibly2 a: to cohere to a relatively moving part through excessive pressure, temperature, or friction —used especially of machine parts (as bearings, brakes, or pistons) b: to fail to operate due to the seizing of a part —used of an engine

synonyms see take

— seiz·er noun

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