Appropriatory

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. The act of unlawfully seizing something for personal benefit
2. Connected to the practice of claiming or taking something, especially property, without legal right or consent
3. Pertaining to the action of seizing or assuming control over assets or resources usually without authorization

Etymology: "Appropriatory" is an English adjective built from "appropriate" and the suffix "-ory," which forms adjectives meaning "serving to" or "relating to" an action. Its meaning, unlawfully seizing property, follows from the older senses of "appropriate." That verb originally meant to set something apart for a particular owner or use, and from there it came to mean taking something for oneself, sometimes without right. The suffix does most of the work in the new word. Attached to a verb stem such as "appropriate," "-ory" marks the adjective as one that describes something tending toward or used for that action, so "appropriatory" describes conduct or measures aimed at taking possession. The base verb is itself borrowed from Latin "appropriare," meaning to make one's own, so the word combines an English-formed suffix with a Latin-derived stem.

Synonyms: exclusive, seizure, sequestration, taking, usurpation