Table of Contents
The word for today is…
sequester (verb, noun):
verb
1a: to set apart : segregate
b: seclude, withdraw
2a: to seize especially by a writ of sequestration
b: to place (property) in custody especially in sequestration
3: to bind (a metal or metal ion) in the form of a soluble complex or chelate by adding a suitable reagent for the purpose of preventing precipitation in water solution by chemical agents that would normally bring it about, of solubilizing precipitates already formed, or of otherwise suppressing undesired chemical or biological activity
sequester calcium and magnesium ions in the softening of hard water
also : to bind or absorb (carbon dioxide) as part of a larger chemical process or compound
noun
1: the imposition of automatic government spending reductions in accordance with sequestration
2: obsolete : separation, isolation
Source : Merriam -Webster
Etymology : Sequester is a word that has important legal and scientific uses, and a long history besides. In fact, it can be traced back to the Latin preposition secus, meaning, well, “beside” or “alongside.” Setting someone or something apart (figuratively “to the side”) from the rest is sequester’s raison d’être. We frequently hear it in the context of the courtroom, as juries are sometimes sequestered for the safety of their members or to prevent the influence of outside sources on a verdict. It is also possible, legally speaking, to sequester property—sequester can mean both “to seize” and “to deposit” property by a writ of sequestration. The scientific sense of sequester most often encountered these days has to do with the binding or absorption of carbon. Kelp forests, for example, sequester massive amounts of carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, keeping it “apart” from the atmosphere—by some estimates doing so twenty times as much as terrestrial forests. You might even say kelp’s got this sequestering thing locked up.
If you enjoyed this Good Oil word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends and, especially, your children.
