Distrainer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who legally seizes another's goods or possessions as a means of securing payment of a debt or rent owed
2. Someone who takes and holds property belonging to a debtor until the amount owed is paid in full
3. The official or party that impounds a tenant's or debtor's belongings to enforce a claim for money due

Etymology: "Distrainer" is a variant spelling of "distrainor," a legal term for a person who seizes goods to secure a debt or obligation. It is built from "distrain," which means to seize property as a pledge or distress, combined with the suffix "-or," which marks a person who performs the action, as in "creditor" or "assessor." The word thus names a person who carries out a distraint, the old procedure by which a creditor or landlord could take someone's possessions as security for money owed. Because the root verb is what carries the legal meaning, the noun simply labels the officer or party doing the seizing.