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.

---

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

---

Related Words

See property.

Etymology

Origin of chattel

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

Explanation

All that stuff in your room? The books, posters, dirty sneakers and all of your other personal belongings? That's what we call chattel. Chattel refers to personal items, as opposed to actual land property. It was once used to describe slaves and cattle, which is why referring to something or someone as chattel isn't very nice — you're essentially saying they're just property, somehow less than human. Despite the fact that chattel is an outdated word these days, it's probably still safe to call your bottle cap collection worthless chattel.

Example Sentences

It is further insulting to gestational carriers, genetic donors, and intended parents to suggest that the mutual creation of a child is somehow akin to the bondage of chattel slavery.

From Slate • May 13, 2026

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

From Salon • Aug. 3, 2024

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

From Seattle Times • Feb. 15, 2024

Jim Downs: How did formerly enslaved people survive hours after they fled from chattel slavery?

From Scientific American • Nov. 2, 2023

They had only the afternoon to learn the ways of chattel.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin