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