SEIZE

verb (~d; seizing) see: set Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. to vest ownership of a freehold estate in, to put in possession of something , 2. to take possession of ; confiscate , to take possession of by legal process, 3. to possess or take by force ; capture , to take prisoner ; arrest , 4. to take hold of ; clutch , to possess oneself of ; grasp , to understand fully and distinctly ; apprehend , 5. to attack or overwhelm physically ; afflict , to possess (as one's mind) completely or overwhelmingly , to bind or fasten together with a lashing of small stuff (as yarn, marline, or fine wire), intransitive verb to take or lay hold suddenly or forcibly, 2. to cohere to a relatively moving part through excessive pressure, temperature, or friction, to fail to operate due to the seizing of a part, see: take ~r noun