arrogation
noun
Arrogation — the presumptuous claiming of power one has no right to hold
Definition
Seizure by the government
In depth
Arrogation, in this sense, names seizure by the government, though the word more broadly and more commonly describes the presumptuous, often unjustified claiming of power, authority, or privilege, whether by a government, institution, or individual, without proper right or sanction. The word emphasizes the arrogance and overreach inherent in the claim, rather than the formal process of seizure itself.
Origin
The word descends from Latin arrogare, to claim for oneself, formed from ad- (to) and rogare (to ask). That root sense of asking or claiming for oneself, related closely to 'arrogant,' lends the word its characteristic implication of presumption, an arrogation conceived as a claim asserted with more confidence than legitimate right actually justifies.
Usage examples
"The court ruled against the agency's arrogation of authority well beyond its original legislative mandate."
"Historians documented the gradual arrogation of power by an executive branch increasingly unchecked by other institutions."
"Her arrogation of credit for the team's success caused lasting resentment among colleagues who had done the actual work."
How to use it
Arrogation is formal, somewhat literary vocabulary, particularly useful in political and institutional writing describing the presumptuous claiming of authority or credit beyond what is properly justified, carrying clear critical or condemnatory weight.
Related concepts
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