To take away or remove from appropriate possession or use; to deprive of rightful ownership.
From 'dis-' (reversal) + 'appropriate' (from Latin 'appropriare,' to make one's own). The word means to reverse the process of making something one's own property.
This archaic legal term appears in old property deeds and church documents—'disappropriate' was used when land was taken away from religious institutions! It's a specialized vocabulary that reminds us every profession once had richer, more specific language.
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