What does deforcing mean?
Deforcing is the present participle of the verb deforce, a term rooted in medieval law that survives chiefly in Scottish legal usage. In its primary sense, it means wrongfully withholding land or other property from the person who has the rightful claim to it — keeping someone out of what is legally theirs. In Scots law specifically, it carries a second, more physical sense: forcibly obstructing or resisting an official who is attempting to execute a lawful warrant or court order, an act known as deforcement. The word derives ultimately from the Latin fortis, meaning strong, via Old French force, so it literally evokes holding something by strength rather than by right. Because it belongs largely to legal registers and historical texts, deforcing is uncommon in everyday speech, but it remains useful for describing precisely the unjust denial of possession, whether of an estate, an office, or a document.
verb (gerund/present participle)The act of wrongfully withholding property from its rightful owner or possessor; in Scots law, also the forcible obstruction or resistance of a person executing a lawful warrant or court order.
- Wrongfully withholding land or property from someone with a better right to it.
- (Scots law) Forcibly resisting or obstructing an officer executing a lawful warrant or order.
"The landlord was charged with deforcing the tenants by changing the locks before the eviction notice expired."
"He was accused of deforcing his late brother's widow from the estate she was entitled to inherit."
"Deforcing a bailiff carrying out a lawful eviction is itself a punishable offence under Scots law."
In old Scots law you could be fined simply for deforcing — physically standing between an officer and the door they were legally entitled to open.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of deforcing
Deforcing comes from deforce, which entered English from Anglo-Norman and Old French deforcer, formed on Latin fortis ('strong') through Vulgar Latin *fortia ('strength'). It appeared in English legal language in the Middle Ages, describing the wrongful retention of lands or tenements against the true owner. The related Scots offence of deforcement — obstructing officers of the law — developed separately within Scottish legal practice. Cognates include force, enforce, effort, and fortify, all tracing back to the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How deforcing is actually used
Deforcing is rare outside legal contexts and is most at home in Scots law, where deforcement remains a recognised offence. In general historical English usage it refers to the wrongful retention of property rather than physical violence.
Easily confused with deforcing
Divorcing means legally dissolving a marriage, while deforcing means wrongfully withholding property or obstructing a lawful process.