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Society > Law > Property & Tenure


Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.


acquest acquist a thing acquired; spec. Property gained otherwise than by inheritance.
adscript a feudal serf attached to the soil.
adscription the state of being adscript, a feudal serf attached to the soil.
alienable capable of being alienated, sold, or transferred to another; as, land is alienable according to the laws of the state.
alienee one to whom the title of property is transferred, as opposed to alienor.
aliener alienor a person who transfers property.
allod allodium alod alodium an estate held in absolute ownership, without acknowledgement to a superior. The pl. of allodium can be allodia or allodiums; the pl. of alodium can be alodia or alodiums.
allodial relating to allodium.
allodium see allod.
alod see allod.
alodial relating to alodium.
alodium see allod.
arriage a former feudal service rendered by a tenant with his beasts of burden.
attorn to transfer to another; to take tenancy under a new landlord.
attornment acknowledgement of a new landlord.
bail to deliver goods in trust upon a contract.
bailee a person to whom goods are bailed.
bailer bailor a person who bails goods to a bailee.
bookland in old english law, land taken from the folkland or common land and granted by written charter to a private owner.
bordar a tenant who holds land at his lord's pleasure.
burgage tenure in socage for a yearly rent.
cadastral of or relating to a map or survey showing property lines, boundaries, etc. > CADASTRALLY.
cain kain kane (gaelic) a tenanted farm rent paid in kind.
cens a nominal annual payment given to the owner of an estate or property in recognition of his or her title.
cesser a neglect of a tenant to perform services, or make payment, for two years.
champart the division of the produce of land, the right of the feudal lord.
chartulary a collection of deeds and titles to estate or monastery.
chattel any kind of property which is not freehold.
chose a piece of personal property; a chattel.
colessee a joint lessee.
colessor a joint lessor.
commonhold a freehold held in common by a number of owners.
conacre the letting by a tenant of small portions of land prepared for crop or grazing; (verb) to let in this manner.
conacreism the system of conacre, subletting a portion of a farm, for a single crop.
conveyance an instrument by which title to property is conveyed.
conveyancing the act or business of drawing deeds, leases, or other writings for transferring the title to property.
coparceny a form of joint ownership of property.
copyhold land tenure dependent on will of the lord of the manor.
copyholder one possessed of land in copyhold.
cornacre = conacre, the letting by a tenant of small portions of land prepared for crop or grazing. But unlike conacre cannot be used as a verb.
cornrent a rent for agricultural land that is paid in corn rather than in money.
cotenancy a joint tenancy.
cotenant a tenant in common, or a joint tenant.
cotland land appendant to a cot or cottage, or held by a cottager or cotter.
cottar cotter a medieval peasant inhabiting a cottage.
cottier a cottar; an irish tenant holding land as the highest bidder.
cottierism the cottier system of land tenure.
crofting the system of land tenure by crofters; a crofter's holding.
culvertage the degradation of a peasant to the position of a serf.
curtilage a small court, yard, or piece of ground attached to a house and forming one enclosure with it.
deed 1. (verb) to transfer (property). 2. (scots) dead: DEEDER, DEEDEST.
deforciant one who keeps out of possession the rightful owner of an estate.
demain demesne a manor-house with lands adjacent to it not let out to tenants.
demisable capable of being leased; as, a demisable estate.
deodand a personal chattel which had caused the death of a person, and for that reason was given to god, that is, forfeited to the crown.
detinue wrongful detention of property.
disgavel to release from gavelkind, an old system of land tenure in Kent.
disponer one who legally transfers property from himself to another.
disproperty to deprive of property.
disseise disseize to deprive of seisin; to dispossess wrongfully.
disseisee disseizee one who is disseised, deprived of seisin.
disseisin disseizin the act of disseizing; an unlawful dispossessing and ouster of a person actually seized of the freehold.
disseisor disseizor one who deprives another of seisin.
disseize see disseise.
disseizee see disseisee.
disseizin see disseisin.
disseizor see disseisor.
distrain to seize the property in order to force payment for damages, debt, etc.
distrainee a person whose property has been distrained.
distrainer distrainor one who distrains.
dominium ownership of property with right of disposition.
donatary donatory a donee of the crown; one to whom, upon certain condition, escheated property is made over.
easement the right to use something (especially land) not one's own or to prevent its owner from making an inconvenient use of it.
elegit a writ of execution on a debtor's property.
emphyteusis perpetual but conditional lease of property > EMPHYTEUSES.
enfeoff infeoff to give a feud, or right in land, to; to invest (any one) with a freehold estate by the process of feoffment.
enserf to make a serf of.
envassal to make a vassal of.
estate property esp. Landed property; (verb, arch.) To provide with landed property.
estrepe to commit waste, as a tenant e.g. By cutting down trees.
evict to expel from a property by legal process.
evictee one who is evicted.
evictor one who evicts.
excambion excambium in scots law, exchange of lands.
executry in scots law, movable or heritable estate and effects.
expropriate to deprive of possession or proprietary rights.
extradotal forming no part of a dowry; as, extradotal property.
fee a grant of land for feudal service.
feod feud a fief or land held on condition of service.
feodal = feudal.
feodary feudary one holding lands or power by a feudal tenure.
feoff to enfeoff.
feoffee the person to whom a feoffment is made; the person enfeoffed.
feoffer feoffor one who enfeoffs or grants a fee.
feoffment the gift of a fief.
feoffor see feoffer.
feu (Scots) = fee, a grant of land for feudal service; (verb) to grant or hold land in feu land tenure.
feuar fiar in law, the owner of a property in fee simple.
feudal relating to a feu > feudally.
feudalise feudalize to reduce to a feudal tenure; to conform to feudalism.
feudalism the feudal system; a system by which the holding of estates in land is made dependent upon an obligation to render military service to the king or feudal superior.
feudalist an upholder of feudalism.
feudality the state of being feudal.
feudalize see feudalise.
feudary see feodary.
feudatory a feudary, one holding lands or power by a feudal tenure.
feudist a writer on feuds; a person versed in feudal law.
fiar see feuar.
fief an estate held of a superior on condition of military service; a fee; a feud.
fiefdom a piece of land held as fief.
flatshare an arrangement whereby a flat is shared.
folkland in old english times, land held by folk-right, opposed to bookland.
forinsec of service, due to the superior from whom one's lord held land.
frankalmoign land tenure requiring religious obligations on part of tenant.
freedman a man who has been a slave and has been freed.
freehold a property held by fee simple, fee tail, or for life.
freeholder a person who possesses a freehold.
frontager a person who owns or occupies property along a road or river.
gavelman a tenant holding land in gavelkind, a system of land inheritance by all sons equally, rather than by the eldest son.
gebur (oe) a tenant-farmer in the pre-conquest english community.
granter grantor the person by whom a grant or conveyance is made.
grassum in scots law, a lump sum paid in addition to rent by a person taking a lease of landed property. [oe gaersum, treasure].
headlease a main or original lease, that can be divided into subleases.
heriot a payment to a feudal lord upon the death of a tenant farmer. [oe heregeatu, a military preparation, from here, army, + geatwe, preparation].
heriotable subject to the payment of a heriot.
heritor a proprietor or landholder in a parish.
homage a feudal ceremony by which a man acknowledges himself the vassal of a lord; (verb) to do or pay homage to.
homager one who does homage, or holds land of another by homage; a vassal.
horngeld a feudal service, being a form of rent fixed by the number of horned cattle, aka cornage.
hypothec in the law of Scotland, the Channel Islands, and ancient Rome: a creditor's right established over a debtor's property that continues in the debtor's possession.
incumbrancer a person who holds an encumbrance on property belonging to another.
infeft in scots law, to enfeoff, to invest with heritable property.
infeftment in scots law, the act of giving legal possession of fedual property.
infeoff see enfeoff.
ingo entry into or taking on a new tenancy: INGOES.
inholding privately owned land inside the bounds of a national park.
insucken in scots law, relating to a sucken, the jurisdiction of a mill, or that extent of ground astricted to it.
kain see cain.
landgrab the acquisition of land by fraud or force.
landholder a holder, owner, or proprietor of land.
landowner one who owns land.
leasable that can be leased.
lease a contract letting or renting a house, farm, etc for a term; (verb) to engage in such a contract.
leaseback an arrangement whereby the buyer of a property leases it back to the seller.
leasehold land or property held under a lease; the tenure by which such property is held.
leaser one who leases.
lessee the person to whom a lease is given, or who takes an estate by lease.
lesseeship being a lessee.
lessor one who leases; the person who lets to farm, or gives a lease.
lettable that can be let, e.g. A property.
leud a feudal vassal: leuds or leudes.
liege a person under a feudal tenure; a vassal.
liegedom the condition of being a liege.
liegeless without a liege.
lienee in law, a party against whom a lien has been placed.
lienholder lienor in law, a party who holds a lien on a property.
lifehold of land, held by a life estate. No —S.
lodger a person who lodges; a person who lives in a rented room or rooms.
manorial relating to a manor.
manred manrent homage or service rendered to a superior, as to a lord.
mesnalty a feudal estate.
mesne middle; intervening; as, in mesne lord, a lord holding an estate from a superior feudal lord. [l. Medianus].
messuage a dwelling-house with its outbuildings and the adjacent land assigned to its use.
modus the arrangement of, or mode of expressing, the terms of a contract or conveyance > modi.
mortmain the legal status of property which is transferred inalienably to an ecclesiastical or other body, said to be a dead hand, ie one that can never part with it again. [fr. Morte (feminine) dead + main, from l. Manus, hand].
novalia in scots law, waste lands newly reclaimed. No —S.
occupative held by tenure based on occupation.
odal udal of land in orkney or shetland, held by the old native form of freehold tenure; (noun) an estate so held.
odaller udaller in the orkneys and shetlands, one who holds an odal estate.
ouster ejection or dispossession.
overlet to let to excess > overlets, overletting, overlet.
paravail below others in rank, as in tenant paravail: a tenant who held from another who was himself a tenant, spec. The lowest tenant, who actually worked or occupied the land etc.
peculium private property; especially when given by father to son > peculia.
pendicle a piece of land or other property forming a subsidiary part of an estate.
pendicler the tenant of a pendicle.
pennyland land valued at a penny a year.
pernancy a taking or reception, as the receiving of rents or tithes in kind.
personalty personal belongings and property.
pignus a pledge, property held as security for a debt > pignora.
portioner the proprietor of a small piece of land forming a portion of a larger piece which has been broken up usu. Among joint heirs; a petty laird.
prefeudal before feudalism.
property something owned; (verb, obs.) To make one's own property, appropriate, take or hold possession of.
propertyless without property.
proprietor an owner.
realty land with houses, trees etc.
reif property etc. Taken by force or robbery; plunder, booty.
relet to let again.
rentable that can be rented.
rentaller (scot) a kindly tenant.
renter one who rents.
rundale runrig a scots system of holding land in single detached pieces.
sasine infeftment, the act of giving legal possession of feudal property.
seigneury esp. In france and canada, a landed estate held by feudal tenure, the territory or domain of a seigneur.
seigniory feudal lordship; the territory or domain of a lord or seigneur.
seignoral relating to lordship.
seisable that can be seised.
seiser seisor seizer seizor one who seizes (property), takes possession.
seisin seizin freehold of estate or possessions.
seisor see seiser.
seisure seizure the act of seizing, or the state of being seized.
seizer see seiser.
seizin see seisin.
seizor see seiser.
seizure see seisure.
sequestration seizure of goods or property by the authority of a writ.
serf a person in modified slavery, esp. One bound to work on the land.
serfage serfdom serfhood serfship the state of being a serf.
serflike like a serf.
sergeanty serjeantry serjeanty a condition of tenure by service in person to the king.
several various, severally; (noun) privately owned land > severals.
severalty separateness; separate ownership of property.
sharecrop of a tenant farmer, to supply, in lieu of rent, a share of the crop.
sharecropper a tenant farmer especially in the southern united states who is provided with credit for seed, tools, living quarters, and food, who works the land, and who receives an agreed share of the value of the crop minus charges.
shorthold of or being a tenancy of one to five years.
situs the place to which for purposes of legal jurisdiction or taxation a property belongs > situses.
socage soccage a feudal tenure of land involving payment of rent or other non-military services to a superior.
socager sockman socman sokeman one who holds lands or tenements by socage.
sokemanry tenure by socage, a feudal tenure of land involving payment of rent or other non-military services to a superior.
steelbow stock and goods received from a landlord with obligation to return a like amount and value when the lease expires.
subfeu a feu granted to a vassal; (verb) to make a subinfeudation of.
subinfeud to grant by feudal tenant to a further tenant.
subinfeudation the sublease of a portion of a feudal estate by a vassal to a tenant who pays fealty to the vassal.
sublease a lease by a tenant or lessee to another person; (verb) to lease to another.
sublessee a holder of a sublease, a lease by a tenant or lessee to another person; an underlease.
sublessor a person who grants a sublease, a lease by a tenant or lessee to another person.
sublet to rent leased property to another.
subletter one who sublets.
subrent rent from a subtenant; (verb) to sublet or rent out (a property that is already rented)> SUBRENTED, SUBRENTING.
subtack a sublease in scotland.
subtenancy the state of being a subtenant, one who rents a tenement, or land, etc.
subtenant one who rents a tenement, or land, etc., of one who is also a tenant.
subtenure tenure held under somebody else's tenure.
subvassal the vassal of a vassal.
suckener a tenant under the sucken or thirlage system.
tacksman one who holds a tack or lease from another; a tenant, or lessee.
talooka taluk taluka in india, a large estate, a revenue district. [hindi ta'alluq, estate].
talukdar a proprietor of a taluk.
tanist in ireland, a lord or proprietor of a tract of land or of a castle, elected by a family, under the system of tanistry.
tanistry the system of succession by a previously elected member of the family.
tenancy the temporary occupancy of something that belongs to another.
tenant a holder of a tenancy; (verb) to occupy as tenant.
tenantless without a tenant.
tenantry tenants collectively.
tenantship the state of being a tenant.
tenemental of or pertaining to a tenement; capable of being held by tenants.
tenendum a clause in a deed defining land tenure > TENENDUMS or TENENDA.
tenure a tenant's rights, duties etc; (verb) to grant tenure to.
tenurial relating to tenure > tenurially.
termer termor a person who holds an estate for a term of years or for life.
thegnly like a thegn THEGNLIER, THEGNLIEST.
thrall a slave, serf; (verb) to enslave.
trover a legal action brought to recover goods from wrongful owner.
trustor one that trustees his property.
udal see odal.
udaller see odaller.
underlease to sublease.
underlet to let for less than the proper value.
underletter one who underlets.
undertenant a subordinate tenant.
unfeudal not feudal.
unfeued not feued, held in tenure.
unleased not leased.
unlet unletted not letted (of a property).
untenant to remove a tenant from.
untenured not having tenure.
usucapient a person who claims and holds by usucapion, the acquisition of a property through long usage.
usucapion usucaption the acquisition of a property through long usage. [l. Usucapere].
usucapt to acquire by usucaption, the acquisition of property by long usage and enjoyment.
usufruct the legal right of using and enjoying the fruits or profits of something belonging to another; (verb) to exercise this right.
usufructuary a person who has the use or enjoyment of something, especially property.
vassalage the state of being a vassal, or feudatory.
vassaless a female vassal.
vassalry the body of vassals.
vavasory the tenure or lands of a vavasor.
venville a form of tenure in parishes around dartmoor.
villainage villanage villeinage villenage the state of being a villein.
villein a free villager; a serf.
yeomanry the body of yeomen or small landed proprietors, yeomen collectively.
zamindar zemindar under the mogul emperors of india, a tax farmer responsible for collecting revenue from land held in common by the cultivators; later, the actual native proprietor paying revenue direct, and not to any intermediate superior.
zamindari zamindary zemindari zemindary the jurisdiction of a ZAMINDAR.