encroach

 
Pronunciation: /ɪnˈkrəʊtʃ, ɛn-/

verb

[no object] (usually encroach on/upon)
  • intrude on (a person’s territory, rights, personal life, etc.): rather than encroach on his privacy she might have kept to her room
  • advance gradually beyond usual or acceptable limits: the sea has encroached all round the coast

Derivatives

encroacher

noun

Origin:

late Middle English (in the sense 'obtain unlawfully, seize'; formerly also as incroach): from Old French encrochier 'seize, fasten upon', from en- 'in, on' + crochier (from croc 'hook', from Old Norse krókr)