Mortmain Definition
môrtmān
noun
A legal arrangement in which a property owner such as an ecclesiastical institution is barred from transferring or selling its property.
American Heritage
A transfer of lands or houses to a corporate body, such as a school, church, or charitable organization, for perpetual ownership.
Webster's New World
Such ownership.
Webster's New World
The permanent holding of lands by an ecclesiastical organization, without the right to dispose of them.
Webster's New World Law
(literary) A strong and inalienable possession.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:
- dead hand
- dead hand of the past
Other Word Forms of Mortmain
Noun
Singular:
mortmain
Plural:
mortmainsOrigin of Mortmain
-
Middle English mortemayne from Old French mortemain morte feminine of mort dead mortgage main hand (from Latin manus man-2 in Indo-European roots)
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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From Anglo-Norman mortmayn, morte meyn, from Old French mortes meins, after Late Latin phrase mortua manus. See Latin mors ("dead") + manus ("hand").
From Wiktionary
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