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evict

[ih-vikt]
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verb (used with object)
  1. to expel (a person, especially a tenant) from land, a building, etc., by legal process, as for nonpayment of rent.
  2. to recover (property, titles, etc.) by virtue of superior legal title.
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Origin of evict

1400–50; late Middle English evicten < Late Latin ēvictus having recovered one's property by law, Latin: past participle of ēvincere to overcome, conquer, evince), equivalent to ē- e-1 + vic- (past participle stem of vincere; see victor) + -tus past participle suffix
Related formse·vic·tion, noune·vic·tor, nounnon·e·vic·tion, nounre·e·vict, verb (used with object)un·e·vict·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for evict

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • The landlord was going to evict the Coquets on the fifth floor.

    L'Assommoir

    Emile Zola

  • Indians, like the Irish, will not pay rent, so we were compelled to evict them.

  • In any event, after filing his application, he would then be in a position to evict his enemies.

    The Long Chance

    Peter B. Kyne

  • However, after the battle the badgers ceased to try and evict him.

    Lives of the Fur Folk

    M. D. Haviland

  • These were the people who wanted to evict her from her house.

    Leonora

    Arnold Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for evict

evict

verb (tr)
  1. to expel (a tenant) from property by process of law; turn out
  2. to recover (property or the title to property) by judicial process or by virtue of a superior title
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Derived Formseviction, nounevictor, nounevictee, noun

Word Origin

C15: from Late Latin ēvincere, from Latin: to vanquish utterly, from vincere to conquer
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for evict

v.

mid-15c., "recover (property) by judicial means," from Latin evictus, past participle of evincere "recover property, overcome and expel, conquer," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + vincere "conquer" (see victor). Sense of "expel by legal process" first recorded in English 1530s. Related: Evicted; evicting.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper