Word a Day
usurp
What does usurp mean?
usurp (verb): to seize and hold or use (powers, an office, a coat of arms, a right or copyright, etc) from another, without right (usually by illegitimate means).
Definition: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How do you pronounce usurp?
/ˌjuˈsɝp/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.
Where does usurp come from?
From Middle English usurpen, from Old French usurper, from Latin ūsūrpō.
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Words related to usurp
From Princeton WordNet 3.1.
Test yourself: do you know “usurp”?
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What does “usurp” mean?
consign (a person or thing) to a place, position, or role of obscurity, insignificance, oblivion, lower rank or (especially) inferiority
Not quite: that's what relegate means.
to annul (as a law, decree, ordinance, etc.) by an authoritative act; to abolish by the authority of the maker or their successor; to repeal
Not quite: that's what abrogate means.
to heap up in a mass; to pile up; to collect or bring together (either literally or figuratively), often gradually and without active intent
Not quite: that's what accumulate means.
to seize and hold or use (powers, an office, a coat of arms, a right or copyright, etc) from another, without right (usually by illegitimate means)
Right! That's what “usurp” means.
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