bona vacantia

[ boh-nah vah-kahn-tee-ah; English boh-nuh vuh-kan-tee-uh ]

noun

, Law.

1. property without an apparent owner or claimant.

bona vacantia

/ ˈbəʊnə vəˈkæntɪə /

plural noun

1. law unclaimed goods

Word History and Origins

Origin of bona vacantia¹

Borrowed into English from Latin around 1750–60

Example Sentences

The Duchy spokeswoman said their policy "makes clear that Bona vacantia funds can be used to protect and preserve historic assets, but not to generate income".

From BBC

As well as the Duchy of Lancaster, the Bona vacantia arrangement for deaths without wills or known relatives also applies to the areas of the Duchy of Cornwall, now the responsibility of Prince William.

From BBC

But in the 45,000 acres of the Duchy of Lancaster, including parts of Lancashire, Cheshire and Yorkshire, it is the duchy that becomes the recipient of such funds, which are known by the Latin name of Bona vacantia.

From BBC

“So here is a paragraph of gripping legal analysis to ensure that every jurist who reads this brief is appropriately impressed by the logic of its argument and the lucidity of its prose,” it says, before dishing out a series of phrases it said was for the “Latin dorks” in the federal judiciary: “Bona vacantia. De bonis asportatis. Writ of certiorari.”

From New York Times

But he did not and 430 of these works form part of the estate which is being overseen by Bona Vacantia.

From BBC