What does "escheat" mean?
Escheat: Lands which fall to the lord or the State by escheat.
Additional senses
- 2.That which falls to one; a reversion or return To make me great by others' loss is bad escheat. Spenser.
- 3.To revert, or become forfeited, to the lord, the crown, or the State, as lands by the failure of persons entitled to hold the same, or by forfeiture. Note: In this country it is the general rule that when the title to land fails by defect of heirs or devisees, it necessarily escheats to the State; but forfeiture of estate from crime is hardly known in this country, and corruption of blood is universally abolished. Kent. Bouvier.
- 4.To forfeit. Bp. Hall.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00