Estrepement

/ɪˈstreɪpmənt/ noun

Definition

The act of wrongfully stripping, harvesting, or destroying resources on someone else's land, or the damage caused by such actions.

Etymology

From Old French 'estrepement', derived from 'estrepier'. A legal term in medieval England describing the unlawful destruction or removal of natural resources from property.

Kelly Says

Medieval courts had entire legal procedures for estrepement—you could literally sue someone for cutting down your apple trees, and the damages were calculated based on how much the tree was worth.

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