Disseizin

/dɪˈsiːzɪn/ noun

Definition

The act or crime of wrongfully taking away someone's land or property in medieval law; also the state of being dispossessed.

Etymology

From Old French 'dessaisine,' derived from 'dessaisir' (to dispossess). This noun form became formalized in English common law to describe both the illegal action and its consequence.

Kelly Says

In medieval England, a 'disseizin' was so serious that you could bring a 'writ of restitution' to get your land back—it's literally where the legal concept of property protection was born.

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