Ar*rest" (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Arrested; p. pr. & vb. n.
Arresting.] [OE. aresten, OF. arester, F.
arrêter, fr. LL. arrestare; L. ad +
restare to remain, stop; re + stare to stand. See
Rest remainder.] 1. To stop; to check or hinder
the motion or action of; as, to arrest the current of a river; to
arrest the senses.
Nor could her virtues the relentless hand
Of Death arrest.
Philips.
2. (Law) To take, seize, or apprehend by
authority of law; as, to arrest one for debt, or for a
crime.
&fist; After this word Shakespeare uses of ("I arrest thee
of high treason") or on; the modern usage is for.
3. To seize on and fix; to hold; to catch; as, to
arrest the eyes or attention. Buckminster.
4. To rest or fasten; to fix; to concentrate.
[Obs.]
We may arrest our thoughts upon the divine
mercies.
Jer. Taylor.
Syn. -- To obstruct; delay; detain; check; hinder; stop;
apprehend; seize; lay hold of.
Ar*rest", v. i. To tarry; to rest.
[Obs.] Spenser.
Ar*rest", n. [OE. arest,
arrest, OF. arest, F. arrêt, fr. arester.
See Arrest, v. t., Arr&?;t.]
1. The act of stopping, or restraining from further
motion, etc.; stoppage; hindrance; restraint; as, an arrest of
development.
As the arrest of the air showeth.
Bacon.
2. (Law) The taking or apprehending of a
person by authority of law; legal restraint; custody. Also, a decree,
mandate, or warrant.
William . . . ordered him to be put under arrest.
Macaulay.
[Our brother Norway] sends out arrests
On Fortinbras; which he, in brief, obeys.
Shak.
&fist; An arrest may be made by seizing or touching the body; but it is
sufficient in the party be within the power of the officer and submit to
the arrest. In Admiralty law, and in old English practice, the term is
applied to the seizure of property.
3. Any seizure by power, physical or
moral.
The sad stories of fire from heaven, the burning of his
sheep, etc., . . . were sad arrests to his troubled spirit.
Jer. Taylor.
4. (Far.) A scurfiness of the back part of
the hind leg of a horse; -- also named rat-tails.
White.
Arrest of judgment (Law), the staying or
stopping of a judgment, after verdict, for legal cause. The motion for this
purpose is called a motion in arrest of judgment.
