To stop; check: a brake that automatically arrests motion; arrested the growth of the tumor.
To seize and hold under the authority of law.
To capture and hold briefly (the attention, for example); engage.
v.
intr.
To undergo cardiac arrest: The patient arrested en route to the hospital.
n.
The act of detaining in legal custody: the arrest of a criminal suspect.
The state of being so detained: a criminal under arrest.
A device for stopping motion, especially of a moving part.
The act of stopping or the condition of being stopped.
[Middle English aresten, from Old French arester, from Vulgar Latin *arrestāre : Latin ad-, ad- + Latin restāre, to stand still (re-, re- + stāre, to stand; see stā- in Indo-European roots).]
ar·rest'a·ble adj., ar·rest'er, ar·res'tor n., ar·rest'ment n.
"to cause to stop," 1375, from O.Fr. arester "to stay, stop," from V.L. *arrestare, from L. ad- "to" + restare "to stop, remain behind, stay back," from re- "back" + stare "to stand," from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Meaning "detain legally" is first recorded 1375. Fig. sense of "to catch and hold (the attention, etc.)" is from 1814; arresting in this sense is from 1792.
the act of apprehending (especially apprehending a criminal); "the policeman on the beat got credit for the collar" [syn: apprehension]
2.
the state of inactivity following an interruption; "the negotiations were in arrest"; "held them in check"; "during the halt he got some lunch"; "the momentary stay enabled him to escape the blow"; "he spent the entire stop in his seat"
verb
1.
take into custody; "the police nabbed the suspected criminals" [syn: collar]
2.
hold back, as of a danger or an enemy; check the expansion or influence of; "Arrest the downward trend"; "Check the growth of communism in South East Asia"; "Contain the rebel movement"; "Turn back the tide of communism" [syn: check]
3.
attract and fix; "His look caught her"; "She caught his eye"; "Catch the attention of the waiter" [syn: catch]
4.
cause to stop; "Halt the engines"; "Arrest the progress"; "halt the presses" [syn: halt]
Ar*rest"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Arrested; p. pr. & vb. n. Arresting.] [OE. aresten, OF. arester, F. arr[^e]ter, fr. LL. arrestare; L. ad + restare to remain, stop; re + stare to stand. See Rest remainder.]1. To stop; to check or hinder the motion or action of; as, to arrest the current of a river; to arrest the senses. Nor could her virtues the relentless hand Of Death arrest. --Philips. 2. (Law) To take, seize, or apprehend by authority of law; as, to arrest one for debt, or for a crime. Note: After this word Shakespeare uses of ("I arrest thee of high treason") or on; the modern usage is for. 3. To seize on and fix; to hold; to catch; as, to arrest the eyes or attention. --Buckminster. 4. To rest or fasten; to fix; to concentrate. [Obs.] We may arrest our thoughts upon the divine mercies. --Jer. Taylor. Syn: To obstruct; delay; detain; check; hinder; stop; apprehend; seize; lay hold of.
Ar*rest"\, n. [OE. arest, arrest, OF. arest, F. arr[^e]t, fr. arester. See Arrest, v. t., Arr?t.]1. The act of stopping, or restraining from further motion, etc.; stoppage; hindrance; restraint; as, an arrest of development. As the arrest of the air showeth. --Bacon. 2. (Law) The taking or apprehending of a person by authority of law; legal restraint; custody. Also, a decree, mandate, or warrant. William . . . ordered him to be put under arrest. --Macaulay. [Our brother Norway] sends out arrests On Fortinbras; which he, in brief, obeys. --Shak. Note: An arrest may be made by seizing or touching the body; but it is sufficient in the party be within the power of the officer and submit to the arrest. In Admiralty law, and in old English practice, the term is applied to the seizure of property. 3. Any seizure by power, physical or moral. The sad stories of fire from heaven, the burning of his sheep, etc., . . . were sad arrests to his troubled spirit. --Jer. Taylor. 4. (Far.) A scurfiness of the back part of the hind leg of a horse; -- also named rat-tails. --White. Arrest of judgment (Law), the staying or stopping of a judgment, after verdict, for legal cause. The motion for this purpose is called a motion in arrest of judgment.
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