Meanings
plural mortmains
- uncountableusuallylawThe perpetual, inalienable possession of lands by a corporation or non-personal entity such as a church.
Though in truth it was the law of mortmain […] which originally sent the founders of chantries to seek the king's licence […]
1900, Frederic William Maitland, “The Corporation Sole”, in Law Quarterly Review, volume 161 more example
1824, Charter of Incorporation of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, [W]e do hereby grant our especial license and authority unto all and every person […] to grant sell alien and convey in mortmain unto and to the use of the said Society and their successors […]
- literaryuncountableusuallyA strong and inalienable possession.
[…]; and some part of that influence [of the government], which would otherwise have been possessed as in a sort of mortmain and unalienable domain, returned again to the great ocean from whence it arose, […]
1770, Edmund Burke, Thoughts on the Present Discontents, and Speeches
Synonyms & antonyms
nounreal property held inalienably (as by an ecclesiastical corporation)
nounthe oppressive influence of past events or decisions
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Frenchmortes meins
- Anglo-Normanmortmayn
- Englishmortmain
From Anglo-Norman mortmayn, morte meyn, from Old French mortes meins, after Late Latin phrase mortua manus. See Latin mortuus (“dead”) + manus (“hand”).
More words from Anglo-Norman, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan mà morta
- mà mortainalienable possession of lands
Czech nezcizitelný pozemek
- nezcizitelný pozemekinalienable possession of lands
Dutch dode hand
- dode handinalienable possession of lands
Finnish pysyvä omistus
- pysyvä omistusinalienable possession of lands
French mainmorte
- mainmorteinalienable possession of lands
Italian manomorta
- manomortainalienable possession of lands
Polish martwa ręka
- martwa rękainalienable possession of lands
Spanish manos muertas
- manos muertasinalienable possession of lands
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
mortmain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mortmain
“mortmain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mortmain. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mortmain,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mortmain.
Source: mortmain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.