The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.
USURPS
Verb
usurps
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of usurp
Source: Wiktionary
USURP
U*surp", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Usurped; p. pr. & vb. n. Usurping.] Etym: [L. usurpare, usurpatum, to make use of, enjoy, get possession of, usurp; the first part of usurpare is akin to usus use (see Use, n.): cf. F. usurper.]
Definition: To seize, and hold in possession, by force, or without right; as, to usurp a throne; to usurp the prerogatives of the crown; to usurp power; to usurp the right of a patron is to oust or dispossess him. Alack, thou dost usurp authority. Shak. Another revolution, to get rid of this illegitimate and usurped government, would of course be perfectly justifiable. Burke.
Note: Usurp is applied to seizure and use of office, functions, powers, rights, etc.; it is not applied to common dispossession of private property.
Syn.
– To arrogate; assume; appropriate.
U*surp", v. i.
Definition: To commit forcible seizure of place, power, functions, or the like, without right; to commit unjust encroachments; to be, or act as, a usurper. The parish churches on which the Presbyterians and fanatics had usurped. Evelyn. And now the Spirits of the Mind Are busy with poor Peter Bell; Upon the rights of visual sense Usurping, with a prevalence More terrible than magic spell. Wordsworth.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Word of the Day
14 November 2024
FRISK
(noun) the act of searching someone for concealed weapons or illegal drugs; “he gave the suspect a quick frisk”
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