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mortmain

American  
[mawrt-meyn] / ˈmɔrtˌmeɪn /

noun

Law.

  1. the condition of lands or tenements held without right of alienation, as by an ecclesiastical corporation; inalienable ownership.

  2. the perpetual holding of land, especially by a corporation or charitable trust.

mortmain British  
/ ˈmɔːtˌmeɪn /

noun

  1. law the state or condition of lands, buildings, etc, held inalienably, as by an ecclesiastical or other corporation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of mortmain

1250–1300; Middle English mort ( e ) mayn ( e ) < Anglo-French mortemain, translation of Medieval Latin mortua manus dead hand

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.