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Escheat
Definitions
- 1 The return of property of a deceased person to the state (originally to a feudal lord) where there are no legal heirs or claimants. countable, uncountable
- 2 the property that reverts to the state wordnet
- 3 The property so reverted. countable, uncountable
- 4 a reversion to the state (as the ultimate owner of property) in the absence of legal heirs wordnet
- 5 Plunder, booty. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"Approching, with bold words and bitter threat, / Bad that same boaster, as he mote, on high / To leaue to him that Lady for excheat, / Or bide him battell without further treat."
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- 6 That which falls to one; a reversion or return. countable, uncountable
"And by my ruines thinkes to make them great: / To make one great by others losse, is bad excheat"
- 1 To put (land, property) in escheat; to confiscate. transitive
"Arms are very rigidly controlled in Scotland by the Lord Lyon King of Arms. […] Under an Act of 1592, Lyon King of Arms can escheat to the Sovereign all goods unlawfully displaying arms."
- 2 To revert to a state or lord because its previous owner died without an heir. intransitive
Etymology
From Middle English eschete, from Anglo-Norman escheat, Old French eschet, escheit, escheoit (“that which falls to one”), from the past participle of escheoir (“to fall”), from Vulgar Latin *excadēre, from Latin ex + cadere (“fall”).
From Middle English eschete, from Anglo-Norman escheat, Old French eschet, escheit, escheoit (“that which falls to one”), from the past participle of escheoir (“to fall”), from Vulgar Latin *excadēre, from Latin ex + cadere (“fall”).
See also for "escheat"
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