distrain

English

Etymology

From Old French destraindre, from Latin distringere (“to pull asunder, stretch out, engage, hinder, molest, Medieval Latin also compel, coerce as by exacting a pledge by a fine or by imprisonment”), from dis- (“apart”) + stringere (“to draw tight, strain”).

Pronunciation

Verb

distrain (third-person singular simple present distrains, present participle distraining, simple past and past participle distrained)

  1. (obsolete) To squeeze, press, embrace; to constrain, oppress.
  2. (law, transitive, obsolete) To force (someone) to do something by seizing their property.
  3. (law, intransitive) To seize somebody's property in place of, or to force, payment of a debt.
    to distrain a person by his goods and chattels
  4. (obsolete) To pull off, tear apart.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

  • distrain in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
  • distrain in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • distrain at OneLook Dictionary Search
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