se·ques·tra·tion /ˌsē-kwəs-'trā-shən, ˌse-/ n
1: the act of sequestering: the state of being sequestered
2 a: a writ authorizing an official (as a sheriff) to take into custody the property of a defendant usu. to enforce a court order, to exercise quasi in rem jurisdiction, or to preserve the property until judgment is rendered
b in the civil law of Louisiana: a deposit in which a neutral person agrees to hold property in dispute and to restore it to the party to whom it is determined to belong
3: the cancellation of funds for expenditure or obligation in order to enforce federal budget limitations set by law
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.