Encroachment

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɪŋˈkɹoʊt͡ʃmənt/

Definitions

1. The act of gradually intruding upon or taking over someone else's territory, rights, or sphere of activity without permission
2. The process of unlawfully advancing into another's space, rights, or areas of influence while disregarding consent
3. An unauthorized intrusion into someone else's domain, property, or rights that occurs progressively over time

Etymology: "Encroachment" is a plain formation: the verb "encroach" with the suffix "-ment" attached. The verb itself came into English from Old French "encrochier", meaning to seize or to draw into one's hook, built on "croc", a hook. So the underlying image is of something being hooked and pulled toward oneself, a land or right gradually drawn in beyond its proper bounds. The suffix "-ment" has a long pedigree. It descends from Latin "-mentum", which formed nouns denoting the result or means of an action, and it entered English through Old French "-ment", which is why so many English words ending in "-ment" (judgment, settlement, arrangement) follow the same pattern. Attaching it to "encroach" produces a noun for the act or result of encroaching, and the sense "gradual unlawful intrusion" follows naturally from the verb's older idea of creeping forward on someone else's ground.

Synonyms: invasion, intrusion, trespass, violation, overstep

Antonyms: withdrawal, retreat