What does arrestment mean?
Arrestment is a noun denoting the act of arresting, checking, or halting something, but its living usage today lies almost entirely in Scottish law. There it names the formal process by which a creditor, acting through the courts, attaches or freezes a debtor's assets — bank accounts, wages, or other property — so that money can be recovered to settle an unpaid debt. A worker whose employer is served with a "wages arrestment" order will find part of each paycheck diverted directly to the creditor. The word carries a dry, institutional tone: ordinary speakers rarely use it, and outside legal writing it can sound archaic or technical. Its root is the same Latin stem that gives us "arrest", via Old French. For readers of legal news, contracts, or Scottish financial paperwork, understanding arrestment clarifies a mechanism most people encounter only when a debt has gone badly wrong — making this obscure-sounding word unexpectedly practical knowledge.
nounThe act of arresting or stopping something; in Scottish law, the legal sequestration or attachment of a debtor's property or wages by court order to secure payment of a debt.
- The legal attachment of a debtor's property or earnings by court order, especially in Scottish law, to satisfy a debt.
- The act of stopping, checking, or restraining something; an arrest in the general sense.
"The creditor sought an arrestment of the debtor's wages to recover the outstanding amount."
"An arrestment was placed on his bank account until the judgment debt was paid."
"The engineer praised the arrestment of the runaway machine before anyone was harmed."
Pluralizes normally; multiple arrestments typically refers to several separate legal attachments against one debtor or different debtors.
"The insolvent firm faced simultaneous arrestments from three different creditors."
In Scotland, your wages can be legally frozen before you ever see them — and the word for it is 'arrestment'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of arrestment
Arrestment derives from the Latin verb "adrestare", meaning to stop or stay, which entered English through Old French "arrester" as the verb "arrest". The noun "arrestment" formed from that verb took hold in Middle English and became established in Scottish legal vocabulary, where it developed its specialized sense of attaching a debtor's goods for debt. It shares its origin with "arrest" and related words such as French "arrêt".
How arrestment is actually used
Today "arrestment" survives primarily as a term of art in Scottish legal practice, where forms such as "arrestment of wages", "bank arrestment", and "attachment arrestment" are routine. In general English it sounds formal or archaic; writers usually prefer "arrest" or "seizure" outside legal contexts.
Easily confused with arrestment
"Arrest" is the general term for seizing or detaining a person, while "arrestment" is a more technical noun that in modern usage refers mainly to the legal attachment of a debtor's property under Scottish law.