noun / verb

arrest

uh-REST/əˈrest/

To bring movement or activity to a stop.

The officer arrests the woman and fastens the handcuffs.

A uniformed police officer fastens handcuffs around an adult woman's wrists behind her back, clearly depicting the act of taking someone into legal custody.

Etymology

arLatinto, toward

+reLatinback

+stLatinto stand

The combination of “back” and “stand” supplied the sense “stay back” or “stop.” Arrest carries that stopping idea into law: a person is detained and taken into custody.

In context

Town Meeting TV66:06

if we want to get people treatment we need to arrest them because it's the only way to force them to get it

3/19/2019 Opioid Town Hall Meeting

More examples

The new treatment arrests the spread of the disease.
A sudden movement arrested his attention.
Police made two arrests after the investigation.

Forms

arrest · arrests · arrested · arresting

Similar words

detain: May mean temporary custody without a formal arrest.
apprehend: Often emphasizes catching a suspect rather than the formal arrest.