enfeoff

[en-fef, -feef]

verb (used with object)

to invest with a freehold estate in land.
to give as a fief.

Origin of enfeoff

1350–1400; Middle English enfe(o)ffen < Anglo-French enfe(o)ffer, equivalent to en- en-¹ + Old French fiefer, fiever, derivative of fief fief

Related formsen·feoff·ment, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for enfeoff

enfeoff

verb (tr)

property law to invest (a person) with possession of a freehold estate in land
(in feudal society) to take (someone) into vassalage by giving a fee or fief in return for certain services

Derived Formsenfeoffment, noun

Word Origin for enfeoff

C14: from Anglo-French enfeoffer; see fief

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012