abstract of title

American  

noun

Law.

1. an outline history of the title to a parcel of real estate, showing the original grant, subsequent conveyances, mortgages, etc.

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abstract of title British  

noun

1. property law a summary of the ownership of land, showing the original grant, conveyances, and any incumbrances

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Etymology

Origin of abstract of title

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

Now, in them days, a man's averdupoise was his abstract of title.

From Pardners by Beach, Rex Ellingwood

Accordingly, the abstract of title begins with the lease, however old; but the subsequent title need not be carried back for more than forty years before the sale.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 3 "Convention" to "Copyright" by Various

We then went to Santa Rosa, the county seat, to get an abstract of title and a deed to the property, and now I am once more an honest rancher.

From Thirty-One Years on the Plains and in the Mountains, Or, the Last Voice from the Plains An Authentic Record of a Life Time of Hunting, Trapping, Scouting and Indian Fighting in the Far West by Drannan, William F.

Well, sir, I reach in my pocket for the abstract of title; but I suddenly hear my team running away.

From The Gentle Grafter by Greening, H. C.

An abstract of title is a memorandum taken from the records of the office where deeds are recorded, and showing the history of the title from the Government up to the present time.

From Business Hints for Men and Women by Calhoun, Alfred Rochefort