The action of grabbing or taking something suddenly and forcefully, or of a chance, idea, or opportunity.
From Old French 'seisir,' related to medieval Latin 'seisire,' possibly from Germanic roots meaning 'to sit' or 'to place.' The word evolved from legal terminology (seizing property) to general use.
In medieval law, 'seizing' meant formally putting someone in possession of land, which is why 'seized with' became a way to say something 'took hold of you'—making the legal act poetic by transferring it to emotions.
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