Etymograph

English

sequestration

Sequestration comes from Latin sequestrō ‘sequester’, from sequestrum ‘depository’, and ultimately from secus ‘otherwise, to the contrary’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsecus1‘otherwise, to the contrary’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsequester1‘mediator, trustee’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsequestrum1‘depository’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsequestrō2‘sequester’
  5. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEsequestrātiō2
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600sequestration2
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1838sequestration2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin sequestro
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English sequestration
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1838, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, London: Henry Colburn: “In possession of ample property, it was not from…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsecusWiktionary, Latin sequestro‘otherwise, to the contrary’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsequesterWiktionary, Latin sequestro‘mediator, trustee’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsequestrumWiktionary, Latin sequestro‘depository’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsequestrōWiktionary, English sequestration‘sequester’
  5. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEsequestrātiōWiktionary, English sequestration
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600sequestrationWiktionary, English sequestration
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1838sequestrationWiktionary, English sequestration. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1838, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, London: Henry Colburn: “In possession of ample property, it was not from…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- ‘to follow’

see, say, social, second, saw, society, executive, suit, sight, associate, pursue, sue, execute, subsequent, saga, consecutive, prosecution, consequence, consequently, sect, intrinsic, persecution, executor, ensue, sequential, persecute, extrinsic, consequent, dissociation, dissociate, segue, seg, sequitur, 36 more

Today it means

noun The process or act of sequestering; a putting aside or separating.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “sequestration”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin sequestro. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin secus / sequestration

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