The act of moving property away or hiding it, often to escape legal obligations or court orders.
Present participle of 'eloin,' from Old French 'esloigner.' In English legal tradition, it referred specifically to the removal of goods or livestock beyond a sheriff's jurisdiction to prevent seizure.
Medieval sheriffs were so frustrated by people moving their livestock across borders to avoid taxes that they created this whole legal vocabulary around the crime—it's like the medieval version of hiding assets offshore!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.