expropriate

[eks-proh-pree-eyt] /ɛksˈproʊ priˌeɪt/
verb (used with object), expropriated, expropriating.
1.
to take possession of, especially for public use by the right of eminent domain, thus divesting the title of the private owner:
The government expropriated the land for a recreation area.
2.
to dispossess (a person) of ownership:
The revolutionary government expropriated the landowners from their estates.
3.
to take (something) from another's possession for one's own use:
He expropriated my ideas for his own article.
Origin
1605-15; < Medieval Latin expropriātus separated from one's own (past participle of expropriāre), equivalent to ex- ex-1 + propri(āre) to appropriate (derivative of proprius proper) + -ātus -ate1
Related forms
expropriable
[eks-proh-pree-uh-buh l] /ɛksˈproʊ pri ə bəl/ (Show IPA), adjective
expropriation, noun
expropriationist, adjective, noun
expropriator, noun
de-expropriation, noun
unexpropriable, adjective
unexpropriated, adjective
Can be confused
appropriate, apropos, expropriate.
Examples from the web for expropriation
  • Private construction of housing here has virtually ground to a halt because of fears of government expropriation.
  • One would thus expect more expropriation rather than less.
  • It has increased the tax on unfarmed land, and speeded up expropriation procedures.
  • The fictional tale of land expropriation and eviction seemed to cut too close to the bone.
  • Shares in the risky but fast economies perform badly because they have higher risk of expropriation.
  • Others want to keep their money safe from expropriation by fickle governments, and hidden from thieving criminals.
  • And even if expropriation is avoided, there are difficulties.
  • It is individual liberty and reaping the reward of your efforts versus elitism and expropriation by the elites.
  • And what they ultimately face is nationalistic expropriation of their businesses.
  • Traditionally, a taking has been defined as an actual expropriation of property.
British Dictionary definitions for expropriation

expropriate

/ɛksˈprəʊprɪˌeɪt/
verb (transitive)
1.
to deprive (an owner) of (property), esp by taking it for public use See also eminent domain
Derived Forms
expropriable, adjective
expropriation, noun
expropriator, noun
Word Origin
C17: from Medieval Latin expropriāre to deprive of possessions, from proprius own
Word Origin and History for expropriation
n.

mid-15c., "renunciation of worldly goods," from Medieval Latin expropriationem (nominative expropriatio), noun of action from Late Latin expropriare "deprive of property," from ex- "away from" (see ex-) + propriare "to appropriate" (see appropriate). Sense of "a taking of someone's property," especially for public use, is from 1848; as Weekley puts it, "Current sense of organized theft appears to have arisen among Ger. socialists."

expropriate

v.

1610s, back-formation from expropriation, or from earlier adjective (mid-15c.), or from Medieval Latin expropriatus, past participle of expropriare "to deprive of one's own." Related: Expropriated; expropriating.

expropriation in Culture

expropriation definition


The taking over of private property by a government, often without fair compensation but usually with a legal assertion that the government has a right to do so.