appropriation
n. uncountablen. the act of taking something for your own use, often without asking. In art and culture, it means using another person's ideas or style in your own work.
n. the action of taking something for one's own use, typically without permission. In cultural studies, it refers to the adoption of elements from a minority culture by a dominant group, often raising questions of power and ownership.
The appropriation of public funds caused an uproar.
Critics argued that the fashion brand's use of indigenous patterns was cultural appropriation rather than appreciation.
The debate over cultural appropriation highlights the tension between creative borrowing and the exploitation of marginalized voices in globalized markets.
From Middle English appropriacion, appropriacioun, from Medieval Latin appropriātiō. By surface analysis, appropriate + -ion.