chattel

American  

[chat-l] / ˈtʃæt l /

noun

1. Law.  Often chattels a movable article of personal property.

2. Often chattels any article of tangible property other than land, buildings, and other things annexed to land.

3. a human being considered to be property; an enslaved person.

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chattel British  

/ ˈtʃætəl /

noun

1. (often plural) property law

   1. an item of movable personal property, such as furniture, domestic animals, etc

   2. an interest in land less than a freehold, such as a lease

2. personal property

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Related Words

See property.

Etymology

Origin of chattel

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English chatel, from Old French; cattle

Example Sentences

The roughly 400-year-old specimen of spreading and enveloping branches was just a sapling at chattel slavery’s 1619 arrival in North America.

From Los Angeles Times

But again, these chapters codify the Black American experience as one defined by pain and primarily linked to chattel slavery.

From Salon

Among Wilson’s controversies are comments he made about chattel slavery in the 1990s, when he claimed there was a “mutual affection between master and slave.”

From Salon

Around 43% of mobile homes are secured with personal property loans, or “chattel” loans, in which the only collateral used against the loan is the asset itself.

From Salon

White Christian Nationalism supported White-on-Black chattel slavery and saw it as part of the “civilizing” mission for Christians.

From Salon