DISTRAIN
distrain
(verb) legally take something in place of a debt payment
distrain
(verb) confiscate by distress
distrain
(verb) levy a distress on
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
distrain (third-person singular simple present distrains, present participle distraining, simple past and past participle distrained)
(obsolete) To squeeze, press, embrace; to constrain, oppress.
(legal, transitive, obsolete) To force (someone) to do something by seizing their property.
(legal, intransitive) To seize somebody's property in place of, or to force, payment of a debt.
(obsolete) To pull off, tear apart.
Synonyms
• (to seize somebody's property in place of, or to force payment of a debt) distress
Source: Wiktionary
Dis*train", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Distrained; p. pr. & vb. n. Distraining.] Etym: [OE. destreinen to force, OF. destreindre to press, oppress, force, fr. L. distringere, districtum, to draw asunder, hinder, molest, LL., to punish severely; di- = stringere to draw tight, press together. See Strain, and cf. Distress, District, Distraint.]
1. To press heavily upon; to bear down upon with violence; hence, to constrain or compel; to bind; to distress, torment, or afflict. [Obs.] "Distrained with chains." Chaucer.
2. To rend; to tear. [Obs.] Neither guile nor force might it [a net] distrain. Spenser.
3. (Law) (a) To seize, as a pledge or indemnification; to take possession of as security for nonpayment of rent, the reparation of an injury done, etc.; to take by distress; as, to distrain goods for rent, or of an amercement. (b) To subject to distress; to coerce; as, to distrain a person by his goods and chattels.
Dis*train", v. i.
Definition: To levy a distress. Upon whom I can distrain for debt. Camden.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
19 April 2025
CATCH
(verb) grasp with the mind or develop an understanding of; “did you catch that allusion?”; “We caught something of his theory in the lecture”; “don’t catch your meaning”; “did you get it?”; “She didn’t get the joke”; “I just don’t get him”
Do you know this game?
Wordscapes is a popular word game consistently in the top charts of both Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The Android version has more than 10 million installs. This guide will help you get more coins in less than two minutes of playing the game. Continue reading Wordscapes: Get More Coins