arrest
n. C / Un. the act of the police taking someone away because they believe that person committed a crime. It can also mean a sudden stop in a body function, like your heart.
n. the act of legal seizure or detention of a person by authority of law. In a medical context, it refers to the sudden cessation of a bodily function or process.
The police made an arrest late last night.
The suspect was taken into custody following his arrest for shoplifting at the local mall.
The sudden cardiac arrest required immediate intervention from the paramedics to restore a normal heart rhythm before the patient reached the hospital.
From Middle English arest (noun) and aresten (verb), from Old French areste (noun) and arester (“to stay, stop”, verb), from Vulgar Latin arrestō, from Latin ad- (“to”) + restō (“to stop, remain behind, stay back”), from re- (“back”) + stō (“to stand”), from Proto-Indo-European steh₂- (“to stand”), equivalent to ad- + rest. Compare French arrêter (“to stop”).
Countable when referring to a specific legal detention; both countable and uncountable in medical contexts depending on the specific condition described.