mortmain.

Ownership of land by an institution that can retain it indefinitely, historically especially a religious corporation.

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Words that belong together

• land in mortmain
• mortmain statute

On the page

The abbey held the land in mortmain.

A mortmain statute limited the transfer.

Usage notes

Primary category: gothic. Forms: Usually uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.