oust
UK[aʊst]US[aʊst]
v
To force someone out of a position of power, a job, or a place.
Etymology
The journey of "oust" begins with the Latin verb 'obstare', which literally meant "to stand in the way of." This sense of blocking or hindering evolved in Medieval Latin legal language to signify a formal removal or dispossession. The term was adopted into Anglo-Norman French law as 'ouster', carrying the specific meaning of ejecting someone from a property or position by legal action. Entering English in the early 16th century, it retained this forceful, often formal sense of removal, which has broadened over time to describe any act of driving out or expelling someone from power or a place.
Analysis
The word is a simplex. It entered English as a legal term from Anglo-Norman French 'ouster' or 'oster', meaning "to take away, remove, dispossess." This Old French term derives from Latin 'obstare', meaning "to stand before, block, hinder," from 'ob-' (against) + 'stare' (to stand).
Examples
The shareholders voted to oust the company's CEO.
The rebel forces sought to oust the dictator from power.
New evidence could oust the current theory from its dominant position.