mortmain

Definitions


[ˈmɔːtmeɪn], (Noun)

Definitions:
- the status of lands or tenements held inalienably by an ecclesiastical or other corporation


Phrases:

Origin:
late Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French, Old French mortemain, from medieval Latin mortua manus ‘dead hand’ (probably alluding to impersonal ownership)




definition by Oxford Dictionaries