sequester

[ si-kwes-ter ]

/ sɪˈkwɛs tər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sequester ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to remove or withdraw into solitude or retirement; seclude.

to remove or separate; banish; exile.

to keep apart from others; segregate or isolate: The jury was sequestered until a verdict was reached.

Law. to remove (property) temporarily from the possession of the owner; seize and hold, as the property and income of a debtor, until legal claims are satisfied.

International Law. to requisition, hold, and control (enemy property).

to trap (a chemical in the atmosphere or environment) and isolate it in a natural or artificial storage area: There are processes to sequester carbon from a power plant's exhaust gases. Plants can sequester toxins and store them in their tissues.

noun

an act or instance of sequestering; separation; isolation.

sequestration(def 7): domestic programs starved for cash by the federal sequester.

Nearby words

Origin of sequester

1350–1400; Middle English sequestren < Latin sequestrāre to put in hands of a trustee, derivative of sequester ‘trustee, depositary’

Related formsse·ques·tra·ble, adjectivenon·se·ques·tered, adjectiveself-se·ques·tered, adjectiveun·se·ques·tered, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sequester

Used, hubcap-free tires are well known to sequester standing water—a perfect breeding ground for the next generation of mosquitos.
Chikungunya: The Mosquito-Borne Virus That Contorts Your Limbs|Kent Sepkowitz|March 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The statement was solely focused on spending levels under the omnibus and their increase over the sequester.
Conservative Groups Oppose Budget Deal|Ben Jacobs|January 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Budget Control Act of 2011 and the sequester have cut discretionary spending across the board.
The Deficit Excuse Is Fading Fast|Daniel Gross|January 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the overall funding levels, while better than the sequester, are still awfully low.
Boehner, the Tea Party, and the Ryan Express|Michael Tomasky|December 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST

It provides $63 billion in sequester relief, which is partially offset by a $23 billion mix of spending cuts and “fees.”
Tea Party Republicans: The Biggest Sore Winners in Washington|Jamelle Bouie|December 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
First, as it respects the right of one nation to sequester the property of the individuals of another in any possible case.
Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. I (of 16)|Thomas Hart Benton
But Clear, as I may call him, was very violent, and quite justified Mrs. Clear's desire to sequester him.
The Silent House|Fergus Hume
It is poor honour to sequester a creed from healthy handling, or to shrink from the serious examination of its doctrines.
Supernatural Religion, Vol. I. (of III)|Walter Richard Cassels
Some hoped to overthrow all law and order, that they might revel in the wealth they could then sequester.
Continental Monthly, Vol. 4, No 3, September 1863|Various
But beyond the pledgee and the sequester (a receiver appointed by the court) these exceptions are unimportant and disputed.
The Common Law|Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

British Dictionary definitions for sequester

sequester

/ (sɪˈkwɛstə) /

verb (tr)

to remove or separate

(usually passive) to retire into seclusion

law to take (property) temporarily out of the possession of its owner, esp until the claims of creditors are satisfied or a court order is complied with

international law to requisition or appropriate (enemy property)

Derived Formssequestrable, adjective

Word Origin for sequester

C14: from Late Latin sequestrāre to surrender for safekeeping, from Latin sequester a trustee

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 sequester

sequester

late 14c., "remove" something, "quarantine, isolate" (someone); "excommunicate;" also intransitive, "separate oneself from," from Old French sequestrer (14c.), from Late Latin sequestrare "to place in safekeeping," from Latin sequester "trustee, mediator," noun use of an adjective meaning "intermediate," which probably is related to sequi "to follow" (see sequel). Meaning "seize by authority, confiscate" is first attested 1510s. Alternative sequestrate (v.) is early 15c., from Latin sequestratus. Related: Sequestered; sequestering.

sequester

verb (used with object)

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of sequester

Examples from the Web for sequester

sequester

verb (tr)

Word Origin for sequester

sequester