Main Entry: seize

Pronunciation: \ˈsēz\

Function: verb

Inflected Form(s): seized; seiz·ing

Etymology: Middle English saisen, from Anglo-French seisir, from Medieval Latin sacire, of Germanic origin; perhaps akin to Old High German sezzen to set — more at set

Date: 14th century

transitive verb 1 ausually seise \ˈsēz\ : to vest ownership of a freehold estate in boften seise : to put in possession of something <the biographer will be seized of all pertinent papers>
2 a : to take possession of : confiscate b : to take possession of by legal process
3 a : to possess or take by force : capture b : to take prisoner : arrest
4 a : to take hold of : clutch b : to possess oneself of : grasp c : to understand fully and distinctly : apprehend
5 a : to attack or overwhelm physically : afflict <seized with chest pains> b : to possess (as one's mind) completely or overwhelmingly <seized the popular imagination — Basil Davenport>
6 : to bind or fasten together with a lashing of small stuff (as yarn, marline, or fine wire)intransitive verb 1 : to take or lay hold suddenly or forcibly
2 a : to cohere to a relatively moving part through excessive pressure, temperature, or friction —used especially of machine parts (as bearings, brakes, or pistons) b : to fail to operate due to the seizing of a part —used of an engine

synonyms see take

— seiz·er noun