Mortmain
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ˈmɔːt.meɪn/ · Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Mortmain is a noun meaning (law) The perpetual, inalienable possession of lands by a corporation or non-personal entity such as a church.
Meaning
(law) The perpetual, inalienable possession of lands by a corporation or non-personal entity such as a church.
More Meanings
- (literary) A strong and inalienable possession.
Example Sentences
Though in truth it was the law of mortmain […] which originally sent the founders of chantries to seek the king's licence […]
[…]; and some part of that influence [of the government], which would otherwise have been possessed as in a sort of mortmain and unalienable domain, returned again to the great ocean from whence it arose, […]
Word Forms
- mortmains
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include admortization, frankalmoigne, perpetuity, majorat, mortgage, mortage.
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Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.