dispossession

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree Latin dis- Old French des-bor. Latin dis-bor. Middle English dis- English dis- English possession English dispossession From dis- + possession.

1. The act of dispossessing someone of something.

   “At times, the assimilationist paradigm has facilitated the physical dispossession of Native lands and the suppression or eradication of Native institutions, culture, and identity by the political branches of the federal government.”

2. The casting out of an evil spirit that has possessed someone; exorcism.

   “There had been a series of such dispossessions since the beginning of Elizabeth's reign involving many clergy, particularly those of vehement Protestant sympathies.”