ˌyüsə(r)ˈpāshən sometimes ˌyüzə(- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin usurpation-, usurpatio act of using, from usurpatus (past participle of usurpare to use) + -ion-, -io -ion
1. : the act of usurping : unauthorized arbitrary assumption and exercise of power especially as infringing on others' rights
dictatorial usurpation of Congressional power — Current History
specifically : the illegal seizure of sovereign power — usually used with of or sometimes with on or upon
2. : an act or an instance of encroachment
protect the executive branch from any legislative usurpations — Sidney Hyman
3. : the dispossession of the patron of a church by a stranger presenting to a vacant benefice a clerk who is thereupon admitted and instituted
4. Roman law : an interruption of use or possession (as in usucapion or in cohabitation)