usurper means one who usurps. It carries an Arena rating of 1473, earned across 107 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, usurper ranks #1,564 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #2,579 of 17,135 for Most Malleable Words, #2,604 of 17,105 for Most Storied Words, #3,324 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words.
usurper is pronounced /juˈsɜɹ.pəɹ/.
Why “usurper” is a great word
USURPER — [Noun] One who seizes and holds a position of power, office, or right by force or without legal authority. From Middle English usurper, from Middle French usurpeur, from Latin usurpare (“to take into use, seize for use, assume unlawfully”), from usus (“use”) + rapere (“to seize”). Unlike a “pretender,” who merely claims a title, or a “successor,” who follows by right, a usurper is defined by the violent, consummated act of displacement. It is the crown pried from a cooling brow, the unfamiliar stride in the palace corridors, and the hollow echo of a stolen oath sworn in a throne room still haunted by its last occupant—a testament that power taken is a different substance entirely from power given.
Etymology
From Middle English usurper, usurpour, usurpur, from Middle French usurpeur; equivalent to usurp + -er.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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