bona vacantia

[ boh-nah vah-kahn-tee-ah; English boh-nuh vuh-kan-tee-uh ]

noun

, Law.

1. property without an apparent owner or claimant.

bona vacantia

/ ˈbəʊnə vəˈkæntɪə /

plural noun

1. law unclaimed goods

Word History and Origins

Origin of bona vacantia¹

Borrowed into English from Latin around 1750–60

Example Sentences

It has been doubted whether the residue does not fall to the government as bona vacantia.

From Project Gutenberg

Bona vacantia can't belong to anybody—therefore they belong to the king; that's a pretty piece of reasoning, isn't it?

From Project Gutenberg