mortmain

UK: /ˈmɔːtˌmeɪn/ US: (môrt′mān′)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

mort•main  (môrt′mān′), n. [Law.]

1. Law the condition of lands or tenements held without right of alienation, as by an ecclesiastical corporation;
   inalienable ownership.
2. Law the perpetual holding of land, esp. by a corporation or charitable trust.

• Anglo-French mortemain, translation of Medieval Latin mortua manus dead hand
• Middle English mort(e)mayn(e) 1250–1300

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

mortmain / ˈmɔːtˌmeɪn/ noun

1. the state or condition of lands, buildings, etc, held inalienably, as by an ecclesiastical or other corporation

Etymology: 15th Century: from Old French mortemain, from Medieval Latin mortua manus dead hand, inalienable ownership