ENCROACH

encroach, infringe, impinge

(verb) advance beyond the usual limit

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Verb

encroach (third-person singular simple present encroaches, present participle encroaching, simple past and past participle encroached)

(transitive, obsolete) to seize, appropriate

(intransitive) to intrude unrightfully on someone elseā€™s rights or territory

(intransitive) to advance gradually beyond due limits

Noun

encroach (plural encroaches)

(rare) Encroachment.

Anagrams

• Cochrane, charneco

Source: Wiktionary


En*croach", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Encroached; p. pr. & vb. n. Encroaching.] Etym: [OF. encrochier to perch, prop., to hook, fasten a hook (perh. confused with acrochier, F. accrocher, to hook, get hold of, E. accroach); pref. en- (L. in) + F. croc hook. See Crook, and cf. Accroach.]

Definition: To enter by gradual steps or by stealth into the possessions or rights of another; to trespass; to intrude; to trench; -- commonly with on or upon; as, to encroach on a neighbor; to encroach on the highway. No sense, faculty, or member must encroach upon or interfere with the duty and office of another. South. Superstition, . . . a creeping and encroaching evil. Hooker. Exclude the encroaching cattle from thy ground. Dryden.

Syn.

– To intrude; trench; infringe; invade; trespass.

En*croach", n.

Definition: Encroachment. [Obs.] South.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

22 February 2025

ANALYSIS

(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., ā€˜the father of the brideā€™ instead of ā€˜the brideā€™s fatherā€™


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Coffee Trivia

Coffee dates back to the 9th century. Goat herders in Ethiopia noticed their goats seem to be ā€œdancingā€ after eating berries from a particular shrub. They reported it to the local monastery, and a monk made a drink out of it. The monk found out he felt energized and kept him awake at night. Thatā€™s how the first coffee drink was born.

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