escheat

es·cheat  (s-cht)

n.

1. Reversion of land held under feudal tenure to the manor in the absence of legal heirs or claimants.

2. Law

a. Reversion of property to the state in the absence of legal heirs or claimants.

b. Property that has reverted to the state when no legal heirs or claimants exist.

intr. & tr.v. es·cheat·ed, es·cheat·ing, es·cheats Law

To revert or cause to revert by escheat.

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[Middle English eschete, from Old French (from escheoir, to fall out) and from Anglo-Latin escheta, both from Vulgar Latin *excadre, to fall out : Latin ex-, ex- + Latin cadere, to fall; see kad- in Indo-European roots.]

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es·cheata·ble adj.

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escheat [iss-cheat] Law

Noun

1. formerly, the return of property to the state in the absence of legal heirs

2. the property so reverting

Verb

to obtain (land) by escheat [Old French escheoir to fall to the lot of]

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Escheat of lawyers—Lipton, 1970.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	escheat - a reversion to the state (as the ultimate owner of property) in the absence of legal heirs law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order" reversion - (law) an interest in an estate that reverts to the grantor (or his heirs) at the end of some period (e.g., the death of the grantee)
	2.	escheat - the property that reverts to the state transferred possession, transferred property - a possession whose ownership changes or lapses