encroacher
verb (used without object)
1.
to advance beyond proper, established, or usual limits; make gradual inroads: A dictatorship of the majority is encroaching on the rights of the individual.
2.
to trespass upon the property, domain, or rights of another, especially stealthily or by gradual advances.
Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English encrochen < Anglo-French encrocher, Old French encrochier to catch hold of, seize, equivalent to en- en-1 + -crochier, verbal derivative of croc hook < Germanic; see crooked, crook
1275–1325; Middle English encrochen < Anglo-French encrocher, Old French encrochier to catch hold of, seize, equivalent to en- en-1 + -crochier, verbal derivative of croc hook < Germanic; see crooked, crook
Related forms
en·croach·er, noun
un·en·croached, adjective
un·en·croach·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To encroacher
00:10
Encroacher
is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
encroach (ɪnˈkrəʊtʃ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb (often foll by on | |
| 1. | to intrude gradually, stealthily, or insidiously upon the rights, property, etc, of another |
| 2. | to advance beyond the usual or proper limits |
| [C14: from Old French encrochier to seize, literally: fasten upon with hooks, from | |
| en'croacher | |
| —n | |
| en'croachingly | |
| —adv | |
| en'croachment | |
| —n | |
| encroach (ɪnˈkrəʊtʃ) | |
| —vb (often foll by on | |
| 1. | to intrude gradually, stealthily, or insidiously upon the rights, property, etc, of another |
| 2. | to advance beyond the usual or proper limits |
| [C14: from Old French encrochier to seize, literally: fasten upon with hooks, from | |
| en'croacher | |
| —n | |
| en'croachingly | |
| —adv | |
| en'croachment | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
encroach
early 14c., from O.Fr. encrochier "seize, fasten on, perch," lit. "to catch with a hook," from en- "in" + croc "hook," from O.N. krokr "hook." Sense of "trespass" is first recorded 1530s. Related: Encroached; encroaches; encroaching.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Nearby Words
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