Word - 68

USURP \yoo-SERP\ verb

: to seize and hold by force or without right

Example sentence:
In her first managerial position, Hannah was hesitant to delegate critical tasks for fear that a subordinate might usurp her position.

Did you know?

"Usurp" was borrowed into English in the 14th century from the Anglo-French word "usorper," which in turn derives from the Latin verb "usurpare," meaning "to take possession of without a legal claim." "Usurpare" itself was formed by combining "usu" (a form of "usus," meaning "use") and "rapere" ("to seize"). Other descendants of "rapere" in English include "rapacious" ("given to seizing or extorting what is coveted"), "rapine" ("the seizing and carrying away of things by force"), "rapt" (the earliest sense of which is "lifted up and carried away"), and "ravish" ("to seize and take away by violence").

Word - 67

MISPRISON \mis-PRIZH-un\ noun

1 a : neglect or wrong performance of official duty

b : concealment of treason or felony by one who is not a participant in the treason or felony

*2 : misunderstanding, misinterpretation

Example sentence:
In her memoir Sleeping with Cats, poet Marge Piercy reflects that her life "has been full of blunders, misprisions, accidents, losses."

Did you know?

All but one of the following words traces back to Latin "prehendere," meaning "to seize."

Which word doesn’t belong?

apprehend comprehend misprision misprize prison surprise

It's easy to see the "prehendere" connection in "apprehend" and "comprehend," whereas you may be surprised that "surprise" is from "prehendere" (via Anglo-French "susprendre," meaning "to capture" or "to take by surprise"). "Misprision" comes to us by way of Anglo-French "mesprisun" ("error, wrongdoing"), from "mesprendre" ("to take by mistake"), itself from "prehendere." "Prison," too, is from Anglo-French, where it had the same meaning as our English word. It was adapted from Latin "prehension-, prehensio" ("act of seizing") -- again, from "prehendere." The only word that's out of place is "misprize," meaning "to undervalue." It's ultimately from Latin "pretium," meaning "value."