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ap·pro·pri·ate (ə-prōprē-ĭt)
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adj.
Suitable for a particular person, condition, occasion, or place; fitting.
tr.v. (-āt) ap·pro·pri·at·ed, ap·pro·pri·at·ing, ap·pro·pri·ates
1. To set apart for a specific use: appropriating funds for education.
2. To take possession of or make use of exclusively for oneself, often without permission: My coworker appropriated my unread newspaper.

[Middle English appropriat, from Late Latin appropriātus, past participle of appropriāre, to make one's own : Latin ad-, ad- + Latin proprius, own; see per1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

ap·propri·ate·ly adv.
ap·propri·ate·ness n.
ap·propri·ative (-ātĭv) adj.
ap·propri·ator n.

Synonyms: appropriate, arrogate, commandeer, confiscate
These verbs mean to seize for oneself or as one's right: appropriated the family car; arrogated the chair at the head of the table; commandeered a plane for the escape; confiscating stolen property. See Also Synonyms at allocate.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.