usurp

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 13, 2020 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>usurp</strong> &#149; \yoo-SERP\&nbsp; &#149; <em>verb</em><br /> <p><strong>1 a :</strong> to seize and hold (office, place, functions, powers, etc.) in possession by force or without right</p> <p><strong>b :</strong> to take or make use of without right</p> <p><strong>2 :</strong> to take the place of by or as if by force : <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supplant">supplant</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"The directors of seven European film festivals shared the stage at the opening of the 77th Venice film festival to help kick-start an industry that they said was in danger of being <em>usurped</em> by streaming sites such as Netflix because of the Covid-19 pandemic." — <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/sep/02/battle-for-civilisation-venice-film-festival-calls-for-fightback-against-netflix">Lanre Bakare, <em>The Guardian</em> (London), 2 Sept. 2020</a></p> <p>"More important, he has fundamentally changed the way that professional tennis is played.… Djokovic introduced a defensive style of movement that is copied widely by the younger generation of players who actively seek to <em>usurp</em> him." — <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/31/sports/tennis/us-open-men.html">Max Gendler, <em>The New York Times</em>, 31 Aug. 2020</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Usurp</em> was borrowed into English in the 14th century from the Anglo-French word <em>usorper</em>, which in turn derives from the Latin verb <em>usurpare</em>, meaning "to take possession of without a legal claim." <em>Usurpare</em> itself was formed by combining <em>usu</em> (a form of <em>usus</em>, meaning "use") and <em>rapere</em> ("to seize"). Other descendants of <em>rapere</em> in English include <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webste