séquestrer

to sequester, to unlawfully detain

verb seh-kes-TREH Rare

Also means

to seize (assets)

Usage Note

Séquestrer carries a strong legal weight: unlawfully confining a person is la séquestration de personnes, a serious criminal offence in French law. When applied to property, it means to freeze or impound assets by court order. The noun séquestre (m) refers to an escrow holder or the impoundment itself.

Examples

"Les ravisseurs ont séquestré leur victime pendant une semaine."

Natural Translation

The kidnappers unlawfully detained their victim for a week.

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