conveyance

American  

[kuhn-vey-uhns] / kənˈveɪ əns /

noun

1. the act of conveying; transmission; communication.

2. a means of transporting, especially a vehicle, as a bus, airplane, or automobile.

3. Law.

   1. the transfer of property from one person to another.

   2. the instrument or document by which this is effected.

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conveyance British  

/ kənˈveɪəns /

noun

1. the act of conveying

2. a means of transport

3. law

   1. a transfer of the legal title to property

   2. the document effecting such a transfer

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Other Word Forms

• conveyancer
  noun
• nonconveyance
  noun
• preconveyance
  noun

Etymology

Origin of conveyance

First recorded in 1495–1505; convey + -ance

Explanation

Conveyance is a formal word that can mean either the transportation of something from one place to another, or the vehicle that does the transporting. Conveyance is a rather archaic — or old-fashioned — way to describe a mode of transportation. It's easy to imagine someone in the 1800s asking for a horse and carriage as their conveyance to a friend's house. Today, we'd skip the formalities and simply jump in the car and drive there ourselves. In its less common usage, a conveyance is a legal document that transfers ownership of a property from one person to another.

Example Sentences

The state Bureau of Conveyances recorded a warranty deed on April 7 that showed Donna Korth of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, trustee of the Korth Family Trust, selling the property to Project 251A.

From Washington Times • Aug. 30, 2015

"Arithmetic is excellent for the gauging of Liquors; Geometry, for the measuring of Estates; Astronomy, for the making of Almanacks; and Grammar, perhaps, for the drawing of Bonds and Conveyances."

From The Grammar of English Grammars by Brown, Goold

Law Quibbles, Tricks, Turns, and Evasions in the Law, 4th Edition, with the Addition of a Second Part, containing Precedents of Conveyances in Extraordinary Cases, and Law Notes thereon, 8vo. 4s. 6d.

From The Annual Catalogue: Numb. II. (1738) Or, A new and compleat List of All The New Books, New Editions of Books, Pamphlets, &c. by Various

Conveyances were in readiness to carry off the corpses, and the spectators quitted the mournful scene in silence.

From The Philippine Islands by Foreman, John

Conveyances of land may be prepared by any one, and, before professional men appeared amongst the settlers, there were some rare specimens of deeds in this branch of English law.

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 55, No. 340, February, 1844 by Various