Garnishment
(noun)
The legal process of withholding a portion of a person's wages, salary, or other income to pay a debt or obligation, such as a court order or a judgment.
Origin:
Garnishment is a legal term derived from the latin word "garnis" meaning "to seize" or "to take possession of".
Examples:
- His wages were garnished to pay off his outstanding credit card debt.
- The court ordered garnishment of her wages to pay child support.
- The garnishment was a surprise to him and he wasn't sure how he was going to pay his bills.
- The company's bank accounts were frozen pending the outcome of the garnishment proceedings.
- He was able to get the garnishment lifted, but it took a lot of time and effort.