empiéter

to encroach

verb ahn-pee-eh-TEH Rare

Origin: from en- + pied (foot) — 'to put one's foot on'

Also means

to trespass on

Usage Note

Empiéter is used with the preposition sur: empiéter sur le territoire de quelqu'un (to encroach on someone's territory). It applies both literally to land or property disputes and figuratively to overstepping professional or personal boundaries. Like all verbs in -éter, it takes an accent grave in certain conjugated forms: il empiète, ils empiètent.

Examples

"Ce bâtiment empiète sur la propriété voisine."

Natural Translation

This building encroaches on the neighbouring property.

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