fee tail

noun

fee tail

property law
1. a freehold interest in land restricted to a particular line of heirs
2. an estate in land subject to such restriction Compare fee simple

1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French

C15: from Anglo-French fee tailé fee (or fief) determined, from taillier to cut

I will give you the law, briefly: descendible estates among us are of two kinds, estates in fee simple and estates in fee tail.

It is divisible into three species: fee simple; conditional fee; fee tail.

Estates of inheritance are divided into estates in fee simple, and estates in fee tail.

Jurors were required to have at least 20 pounds income from freehold land or rents in fee, fee tail, or for life.

The grantees in their turn settled these holdings in fee tail on the oldest son in accordance with the law of primogeniture.

April 20, 2024flabbergast

[flab-er-gast ]

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