confiscability
|con-fis-ca-bi-li-ty|
🇺🇸
/kənˌfɪskəˈbɪlɪti/
🇬🇧
/kɒnˌfɪskəˈbɪlɪti/
subject to seizure
Etymology
'confiscability' originates from Latin, specifically from the verb 'confiscare' and the noun 'fiscus', where 'con-/com-' meant 'with' or 'together' and 'fiscus' meant 'purse' or 'treasury'. The modern English word is formed by adding the suffix '-ability' to 'confiscate'.
'confiscability' developed from Medieval Latin 'confiscatus' (past participle of 'confiscare'), passed into Old French as 'confisquer' and Middle English as 'confiscaten'/'confiscate', and eventually formed the modern English derivative 'confiscability' by combining 'confiscate' + '-ability'.
Initially, related forms meant 'to take into the treasury' or 'to appropriate for the public purse'; over time the sense broadened to mean 'to seize or take away by authority' and thus 'confiscability' now denotes the general property of being subject to seizure (not only by a treasury).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the quality or state of being subject to confiscation by an authority; the condition of being able to be seized or taken away (usually by legal or governmental action).
The confiscability of the smuggled goods made them easy targets for customs officers.
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Noun 2
the degree or likelihood that something can legally be confiscated — used to discuss how liable property or assets are to seizure under particular laws or circumstances.
Lawyers debated the confiscability of assets under the new anti-corruption statute.
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Last updated: 2025/08/28 21:33