arrest
əˈrest
verb
Origin
Latin
adstare — to stand by, to halt
Overview
Meaning Now
- To seize or take into legal custody.
- To stop or slow down the progress or development of something.
- To catch or attract someone's attention.
Literal older meaning
to cause to remain or stand
Language path
Latin → Old French → English
Earliest form
arester
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The term entered English through the legal language of the post-Conquest Anglo-Norman administration, shifting from a general sense of 'halting' movement to the specific legal action of detaining a person.
Evolution
- Latin
adrestare
“to stand near, to bring to a stop”
Vulgar Latin development
- Old French
arester
“to stop, to halt, to stay”
- Middle English
arresten
“to seize, to stop, to detain”
Introduced into legal Anglo-French context
Connections
Word parts
ad-
prefix
to, toward
restare
root
to remain, stand still
Related across languages
French
arrêter
to stop, to arrest
Italian
arrestare
to stop, to arrest
Related words
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.