Impropriation

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɪmpɹəʊpɹiˈeɪʃn̩/

Definitions

1. The act of wrongfully seizing something, which may include the illegal appropriation of resources or property that rightfully belongs to another individual or organization
2. The act of taking possession of property or resources in a manner that violates legal or ethical rights
3. An unauthorized or unlawful claiming or use of someone else's assets without proper permission

Etymology: "Impropriation" is a technical term from English church law, and its story is mostly one of a legal arrangement rather than a shift in sense. It is built from "impropriate", a verb meaning to transfer a church benefice to a lay or corporate owner, plus the suffix "-ation", which turns a verb into a noun for the act or process. The verb itself comes from Latin "appropriare", "to make one's own", with the prefix "im-" (a variant of "in-") entering the English form. The suffix has a long pedigree: it descends from Latin "-ātiō", which passed through Old French "-ation" and Middle English "-acidown" before settling into the modern English form. So the word is a fairly transparent compound of a legal verb and a common noun-forming ending, rather than a coinage with a dramatic backstory.