angary means the right of one belligerent (government) in a conflict to seize, use or destroy the property of another belligerent or neutral state, or the private citizens thereof, provided compensation is paid. It carries an Arena rating of 1340, earned across 8 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, angary ranks #226 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #1,677 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #2,584 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #3,016 of 17,131 for Scariest Words.
angary is pronounced /ˈæŋ.ɡə.ɹi/.
Why “angary” is a great word
Angary is the right of a belligerent state, under international law, to seize, use, or destroy the property of a neutral or another belligerent state, or of its private citizens, subject to compensation. Its lineage stretches from the Akkadian egirtu, an inscribed tablet or contract, through the Greek ángaros, a courier, to the Late Latin angaria for forced service—a journey from record-keeping to compelled labor. Unlike 'requisition,' a broad term for a state taking its own citizens' property, or 'confiscation,' a punitive seizure without payment, angary is the coldly formal exercise of a sovereign prerogative over foreign assets in time of war. It is the legal signature on an order to scuttle neutral ships in a harbor to block a channel, to commandeer a foreign-owned railway for troop movements, or to dismantle a factory for its steel. The principle is a receipt for ruin, offered when the world is burning.
Etymology
From French angarie, from Late Latin angaria (“forced service”) from Ancient Greek ἀγγαρεία (angareía, “the office of a courier or messenger”), from ἄγγαρος (ángaros, “courier”), from Old Persian *𐎠𐎥𐎼𐎠 (*a-g-r-a /*angarā/, “missive, letter”), from Aramaic *𐡀𐡍𐡂𐡓𐡀 (*ʾngrʾ /*ʾengarā/), form of *𐡀𐡍𐡂𐡓𐡕𐡀 (*ʾngrtʾ /*ʾengartā/), variant of 𐡀𐡂𐡓𐡕𐡀 (ʾgrtʾ /ʾiggartā/), 𐡀𐡍𐡂𐡓𐡕𐡀 (ʾngrtʾ /ʾengirtā/, “missive, letter; contract”), from Akkadian 𒂊𒄈𒌅 (egirtu, “inscribed tablet; oracle of fate, ambiguous wording; contract, bound deal”), from 𒄃 (egēru, “to be difficult, to be twisted or locked together; to have a twisted tongue, to be unable to speak against an order”). See also Classical Syriac ܐܓܪܬܐ (ʾeggarṯā, “letter, document”).
noun
- The right of one belligerent (government) in a conflict to seize, use or destroy the property of another belligerent or neutral state, or the private citizens thereof, provided compensation is paid.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- commandeer 54% match — To seize for military use. vs angary →
- commandeering 54% match — The act of commandeering; seizure. vs angary →
- piracy 51% match — Robbery at sea, a violation of international law; taking a ship away from the control of those who are legally entitled to it. vs angary →
- incursion 51% match — A military action consisting of armed forces of one geopolitical entity entering territory controlled by another such entity, generally with the objective of destruction, plunder, or bodily harm rather than an intent to conquer territory or alter the established government; contrast invasion in its narrow sense. vs angary →
- angariation 50% match — coercion vs angary →
- arrogation 50% match — The unjust assumption of rights or privilege. vs angary →
- cobelligerent 50% match — Country that wages war against a common enemy, without the countries on the same side having a formal treaty of military alliance. vs angary →
- tyrantry 50% match — tyranny vs angary →