deodand

D2E1O1D2A1N1D2

noun

An object forfeited to the state (and supposedly to God) because it had caused the death of a person.

“pay the deodand”

OriginAnglo-Norman deodande ← Latin deodandum →
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Meanings

noundeodand (plural deodands)

plural deodands

  1. historicallawAn object forfeited to the state (and supposedly to God) because it had caused the death of a person.

    Really, it’s hard not to wonder whether some current civil forfeiture practices represent much less than a revival of the archaic common-law deodand.

    2024 May 9, Neil Gorsuch, “CULLEY ET AL. v. MARSHALL, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF ALABAMA, ET AL.”, in Opinions, Supreme Court of the United States
  2. historicallawA fine equal to the value of this object, paid by the owner of the object.

    pay the deodand

Origin

  1. Latindeodandum
  2. Anglo-Normandeodande
  3. Englishdeodand

From Anglo-Norman deodande, from Latin deodandum, from Deo dandum (“to be given to God”).

More words from Anglo-Norman, Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

deodand. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deodand

MLA

“deodand.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deodand. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “deodand,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deodand.

Source: deodand on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.