Word of the Day : October 13, 2020

usurp \yoo-SERP\ verb

Definition

1 a : to seize and hold (office, place, functions, powers, etc.) in possession by force or without right

b : to take or make use of without right

2 : to take the place of by or as if by force : supplant

Did You Know?

Usurp was borrowed into English in the 14th century from the Anglo-French word usorper, which in turn derives from the Latin verb usurpare, meaning "to take possession of without a legal claim." Usurpare itself was formed by combining usu (a form of usus, meaning "use") and rapere ("to seize"). Other descendants of rapere in English include rapacious ("given to seizing or extorting what is coveted"), rapine ("the seizing and carrying away of things by force"), rapt (the earliest sense of which is "lifted up and carried away"), and ravish (one meaning of which is "to seize and take away by violence").

Aired October 13, 2020

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