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Noun: distraint  di'streynt
  1. The seizure and holding of property as security for payment of a debt or satisfaction of a claim
    "Originally distraint was a landlord's remedy against a tenant for unpaid rents or property damage but now the landlord is given a landlord's lien";
    - distress

Derived forms: distraints

Type of: seizure

Encyclopedia: Distraint