escheat

American  

[es-cheet] / ɛsˈtʃit /

noun

• escheats
  plural

1. Also escheatment the reverting of property to the state or some agency of the state, or, as in England, to the lord of the fee or to the crown, when there is a failure of persons legally qualified to inherit or to claim.

2. the right to take property subject to escheat.

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verb (used without object)

1. to revert by escheat, as to the crown or the state.

verb (used with object)

1. to make an escheat of; confiscate.

escheat British  

/ ɪsˈtʃiːt /

noun

1. (in England before 1926) the reversion of property to the Crown in the absence of legal heirs

2. (in feudal times) the reversion of property to the feudal lord in the absence of legal heirs or upon outlawry of the tenant

3. the property so reverting

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verb

1. to take (land) by escheat or (of land) to revert by escheat

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• escheatage
  noun
• escheatable
  adjective
• unescheatable
  adjective
• unescheated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• escheats
  plural

Etymology

Origin of escheat

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English eschete, exschete, from Old French eschete, eschaete, escheoite, feminine past participle of escheoir, from Vulgar Latin excadēre (unrecorded) “to fall to a person's share,” equivalent to Latin ex- ex- ¹ + cadere “to fall” ( Vulgar Latin cadēre )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

escheat escheats

ICI wrote that Florida enacted a measure and “prematurely” allowed over $1 billion in securities to escheat to the state.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Under the English and Welsh legal system, the freehold is now subject to an unusual and ancient process known as "escheat".

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2024

Though "not entirely one of logic," said Black, Florida's escheat rule is easiest to apply and will save countless court fights in the future.

From Time Magazine Archive

Last week, in a Texas suit involving three other states,*the Supreme Court issued a milestone escheat rule that finally made sense out of chaos.

From Time Magazine Archive

The estate would escheat to the king, Hanoverian or Scotchman, before it came to me.

From The Two Admirals by James Fenimore Cooper

All escheats of private estates, but no public or general escheats.

From The American Republic : constitution, tendencies and destiny by Orestes Augustus Brownson

He was knighted and rewarded: every one almost was rewarded out of Gowrie’s escheats, or forfeited property. 

From James VI and the Gowrie Mystery by Andrew Lang

For the endowment of favourites he had to rely, therefore, on windfalls from attainders and escheats.

From Sir Walter Ralegh A Biography by W. (William) Stebbing

Also of the lands that belonged to erle John, and what goods he had, and what he held in demaine, in wards, escheats, and in gifts, and for what cause they were giuen.

From Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland (2 of 6): England (6 of 12) Richard the First by Raphael Holinshed

The Unionists without the State government, without any State organization, could not hold the domain, which, when the State organization is gone, escheats to the United States, that is to say, ceases to exist.

From The American Republic : constitution, tendencies and destiny by Orestes Augustus Brownson