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confiscate

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con⋅fis⋅cate

  [kon-fuh-skeyt, kuhn-fis-keyt] verb, -cat⋅ed, -cat⋅ing, adjective
Use confiscate in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to seize as forfeited to the public domain; appropriate, by way of penalty, for public use.
2. to seize by or as if by authority; appropriate summarily: The border guards confiscated our movie cameras.
–adjective
3. seized.
Origin:
1525–35; < L confiscātus (ptp. of confiscāre to seize for the public treasury), equiv. to con- con- + fisc(us) basket, moneybag, public treasury (see fiscal ) + -ātus -ate 1

Related forms:
con⋅fis⋅cat⋅a⋅ble, adjective
con⋅fis⋅ca⋅tion, noun
con⋅fis⋅ca⋅tor, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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con·fis·cate   (kŏn'fĭ-skāt')   
tr.v.   con·fis·cat·ed, con·fis·cat·ing, con·fis·cates

  1. To seize (private property) for the public treasury.

  2. To seize by or as if by authority. See Synonyms at appropriate.

adj.   (kŏn'fĭ-skāt', kən-fĭs'kət)

  1. Seized by a government; appropriated.

  2. Having lost property through confiscation.


[Latin cōnfiscāre, cōnfiscāt : com-, com- + fiscus, treasury.]
con'fis·ca'tion n., con'fis·ca'tor n., con·fis'ca·to'ry (kən-fĭs'kə-tôr'ē, -tōr'ē) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

confiscate 
c.1533, originally, "to appropriate for the treasury," from L. confiscatus pp. of confiscare, from com- "together" + fiscus "public treasury," lit. "money basket."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: con·fis·cate
Pronunciation: 'kän-f&-"skAt
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: -cat·ed; -cat·ing
: to seize without compensation as forfeited to the public treasury —compare CRIMINAL FORFEITURE
NOTE: Illegal items such as narcotics or firearms, or profits from the sale of illegal items, may be confiscated by law enforcement officers. Additionally, government action that reduces the value of property to a person or entity as to make it nearly worthless has been held to constitute confiscation. Examples of such government action include the passage of zoning laws that prevent the use of land for its designated purpose and the setting of utility rates so low that the utility company cannot realize a reasonable return on its investment. —con·fis·ca·tion /"kän-f&-'skA-sh&n/ noun —con·fis·ca·tor /'kän-f&-"skA-t&r/ noun —con·fis·ca·to·ry /k&n-'fis-k&-"tOr-E/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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