Taking property or possessions away from someone, usually by authority or as punishment.
From Latin 'confiscare' (con- + fiscus, 'imperial treasury'). Originally meant seizing property for the state; evolved to mean any official seizure.
When teachers confiscate your phone, they're using the same word as governments seizing property during wars! The root 'fiscus' meant the emperor's personal treasury, so confiscating literally means 'putting in the imperial vault.'
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