term of years

noun

An estate in land held under a lease which is not perpetual or indefinite in length, though in some cases may be contingent on some guaranteed occurrence.

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Meanings

nounterm of years (plural terms of years)

plural terms of years

  1. formallawAn estate in land held under a lease which is not perpetual or indefinite in length, though in some cases may be contingent on some guaranteed occurrence.
  2. idiomaticlawThe lease under which that estate in land is held.
  3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see term, year.

Origin

From term + of + years.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

term of years. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/term%20of%20years

MLA

“term of years.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/term%20of%20years. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “term of years,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/term%20of%20years.

Source: term of years on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.