seize

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English saisen, seisen,^[2][3][4] borrowed from Old French seisir (later saisir, as in modern French), which meant to put someone in possession of something, to take possession of something, and to take hold of it;^[5][6][7] in Anglo-Norman it is recorded from 1121–25.^[8] The French verb continues Medieval Latin saciō, recorded from the 8th century in the Frankish kingdoms in phrases meaning "to take into one's own possession".^{[5][7][9][10]} That verb is generally held to be Germanic, but the exact source is uncertain.^[6] Etymonline and Barnhart suggest Frankish *sakjan (“to lay claim to”), related to 𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (sōkjan) and to seek;^[6][4] Merriam-Webster, Collins and Weekley derive it from a Germanic verb meaning "to set", akin to 𐍃𐌰𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 (satjan) and to set;^[2][11][12] and Klein thinks it is probably a blend of the two.^[3] The Shorter Oxford and the Oxford Dictionary of English speak of a Germanic base meaning "procedure", which Cresswell connects with sake.^[7][9][13]

Earliest recorded meaning

In law, to put a person in legal possession of a feudal holding, and, of a lord or sovereign, to take possession of a vassal's property: both c. 1290, in the life of Thomas Becket in the South English Legendary.^[5] Barnhart dates the form saisen, "take possession of", to 1265, and Etymonline gives the mid-13th century.^[4][6]

Semantic evolution

The verb began as a legal term of feudal law, about property holdings and offices.^[6][13] That use survives in law, usually spelt seise: a person seised of land holds it in law.^[5][2][7] From the idea of taking possession came the everyday senses: to grip with the hands or teeth from about 1300, and to capture a city or seize power by force from the mid-14th century.^[6] From the late 14th century death, disease and fear were said to seize people,^[6] while officers seized goods by warrant and arrested people from the late 15th century.^[7] Johnson (1755) defined it as to take possession of, to grasp, to lay hold on.^[14] A nautical sense, to lash ropes together with cord, appears in the 17th century,^[15] and Weekley thought it came through Dutch.^[12] The mental sense, to grasp an idea quickly, is attested from 1855,^[6] and of machinery, to jam or lock fast, by 1878;^[6][15] a noun seize for such a seizing-up dates from 1912.^[5][7]

Timeline

• 1265 – saisen, to take possession of.^[4]
• c. 1290 – to put someone in legal possession of a feudal holding; to confiscate a vassal's property.^[5]
• c. 1300 – to grip with the hands or teeth.^[6]
• mid-14th century – to capture by force.^[6]
• late 14th century – of death, disease or fear, to come upon suddenly.^[6]
• late 15th century – to confiscate by warrant; to arrest.^[7]
• 17th century – (nautical) to lash with cord.^[15]
• 1855 – to grasp with the mind.^[6]
• 1878 – of machinery, to jam.^[6]
• 1912 – noun, an instance of seizing up.^[5]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To take hold of something suddenly and firmly; to grab or clutch.
2. To take possession of a place, power or property by force; to capture.
3. Of the police or other officials, to take goods into legal custody; to confiscate; also, to arrest a person.
4. To take eager and immediate advantage of a chance or an opportunity: She seized the moment to ask for a raise.
5. Of a feeling, an illness or an idea, to affect someone suddenly and strongly: Panic seized the passengers.
6. To understand an idea quickly and clearly.
7. Of an engine or other mechanism, to jam or stick fast, usually seize up.
8. (law; usually spelt seise) To put someone in legal possession of land or property.
9. (nautical) To lash or bind with turns of cord.

Word family

• seizable
• seizer
• disseize
• reseize
• unseized
• seizor

Related words

• seizure
• seisin

Usage notes

In Yorkshire, Lancashire and Lincolnshire dialect to seize the heart meant to affect someone greatly, and seize-noddy was a card game.^[16]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
3. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
4. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
5. ^ a b c d e f g Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c d e f g Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
9. ^ a b Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
11. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
12. ^ a b Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
13. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
14. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
15. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
16. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)