sequestration

noun | \ ˌsē-kwəs-ˈtrā-shən, ˌse- \ | se·ques·tra·tion

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 usually to enforce a court order, to exercise quasi in rem jurisdiction, or to preserve the property until judgment is rendered

   b : 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