chattel

American  

[chat-l] / ˈtʃæt l /

noun

1. Law. Often chattels a movable article of personal property.

2. Often chattels any article of tangible property other than land, buildings, and other things annexed to land.

3. a human being considered to be property; an enslaved person.

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chattel British  

/ ˈtʃætəl /

noun

1. (often plural) property law

   1. an item of movable personal property, such as furniture, domestic animals, etc

   2. an interest in land less than a freehold, such as a lease

2. personal property

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Related Words

See property.

Etymology

Origin of chattel

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English chatel, from Old French; cattle

Example Sentences

But again, these chapters codify the Black American experience as one defined by pain and primarily linked to chattel slavery.

From Salon

Around 43% of mobile homes are secured with personal property loans, or “chattel” loans, in which the only collateral used against the loan is the asset itself.

From Salon

The draft communique says a majority of member states “share common historical experiences in relation to this abhorrent trade, chattel enslavement, the debilitation and dispossession of indigenous people”.

From BBC

"When you were a contract player, you didn’t have control over your career . . . You were basically chattel."

From Salon

It has been 159 years since the 13th Amendment was ratified, ending chattel slavery.

From Seattle Times