Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - seize

 verb  (~d; seizing)  Etymology: Middle English saisen, from Anglo-French seisir, from Medieval Latin sacire, of Germanic origin; perhaps akin to Old High German sezzen to set — more at set  Date: 14th century  transitive verb  1.  a. (usually seise) to vest ownership of a freehold estate in  b. (often seise) to put in possession of something the biographer will be ~d of all pertinent papers  2.  a. to take possession of ; confiscate  b. to take possession of by legal process  3.  a. to possess or take by force ; capture  b. to take prisoner ; arrest  4.  a. to take hold of ; clutch  b. to possess oneself of ; grasp  c. to understand fully and distinctly ; apprehend  5.  a. to attack or overwhelm physically ; afflict suddenly ~d with an acute illness — H. G. Armstrong  b. to possess (as one's mind) completely or overwhelmingly ~d the popular imagination — Basil Davenport  6. to bind or fasten together with a lashing of small stuff (as yarn, marline, or fine wire)  intransitive verb  1. to take or lay hold suddenly or forcibly  2.  a. to cohere to a relatively moving part through excessive pressure, temperature, or friction — used especially of machine parts (as bearings, brakes, or pistons)  b. to fail to operate due to the seizing of a part — used of an engine  Synonyms: see take  • ~r noun