distrain

Etymology

From Middle English distreynen, from Old French destraindre, from Latin distringō (“to pull asunder”), from dis- (“apart”) + stringō (“to draw tight, strain”).

verb

1. (obsolete) To squeeze, press, embrace; to constrain, oppress.
   Thus spake the Prince, and gently 'gan distrain / Now him, now her, between his friendly arms. 1600, Edward Fairfax, The Jerusalem Delivered of Tasso, XII, xii
2. (law, transitive, obsolete) To force (someone) to do something by seizing their property.
   to distrain a person by his goods and chattels
3. (law, intransitive) To seize somebody's property in place of, or to force, payment of a debt.
4. (obsolete) To pull off, tear apart.