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mortmain |
2 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Mortmain \Mort"main`\, n. [F. mort, morte, dead + main hand; F. main-morte. See {Mortal}, and {Manual}.] (Law) Possession of lands or tenements in or conveyance to dead hands, or hands that cannot alienate. Note: The term was originally applied to conveyance of land made to ecclesiastical bodies; afterward to conveyance made to any corporate body. --Burrill. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: mortmain n 1: real property held inalienably (as by an ecclesiastical corporation) [syn: {dead hand}] 2: the oppressive influence of past events of decisions [syn: {dead hand}, {dead hand of the past}]
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