arrestment

ar·rest  (-rst)

v. ar·rest·ed, ar·rest·ing, ar·rests

v.tr.

1. To stop; check: a brake that automatically arrests motion; arrested the growth of the tumor.

2. To seize and hold under the authority of law.

3. To capture and hold briefly (the attention, for example); engage.

v.intr.

To undergo cardiac arrest: The patient arrested en route to the hospital.

n.

1.

a. The act of detaining in legal custody: the arrest of a criminal suspect.

b. The state of being so detained: a criminal under arrest.

2. A device for stopping motion, especially of a moving part.

3. The act of stopping or the condition of being stopped.

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[Middle English aresten, from Old French arester, from Vulgar Latin *arrestre : Latin ad-, ad- + Latin restre, to stand still (re-, re- + stre, to stand; see st- in Indo-European roots).]

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ar·resta·ble adj.

ar·rester, ar·restor n.

ar·restment n.

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arrestment [əˈrɛstmənt]

n

(Law) Scots Law the seizure of money or property to prevent a debtor paying one creditor in advance of another