escheat

Meanings

1. The return of property of a deceased person to the state (originally to a feudal lord) where there are no legal heirs or claimants.
2. The property so reverted.
3. Plunder, booty.
4. That which falls to one; a reversion or return.

1. To put (land, property) in escheat; to confiscate.
2. To revert to a state or lord because its previous owner died without an heir.

Etymology

From Middle English escheat, achete, eschete (“the reversion of property to the state”), from Anglo-Norman eschete and Old French eschet, escheit, escheoit (“that which falls to one”), past participle of escheoir (“to fall”) (modern French échoir), from Late Latin *excadēre (“fall away, fall out”), from (Latin) ex- + cadere (“fall”). Doublet of cheat.

Translations