estate

[ih-steyt]

noun

1. a piece of landed property, especially one of large extent with an elaborate house on it.

   to have an estate in the country.

2. Law.

   1. property or possessions.

   2. the legal position or status of an owner, considered with respect to property owned in land or other things.

   3. the degree or quantity of interest that a person has in land with respect to the nature of the right, its duration, or its relation to the rights of others.

   4. interest, ownership, or property in land or other things.

   5. the property of a deceased person, a bankrupt, etc., viewed as an aggregate.

3. British.,  a housing development.

4. a period or condition of life.

   to attain to man's estate.

5. a major political or social group or class, especially one once having specific political powers, as the clergy, nobles, and commons in France or the lords spiritual, lords temporal, and commons in England.

6. condition or circumstances with reference to worldly prosperity, estimation, etc.; social status or rank.

7. Obsolete.,  pomp or state.

8. Obsolete.,  high social status or rank.

verb (used with object)

estated, estating 

1. Obsolete.,  to establish in or as in an estate.

estate

/ ɪˈsteɪt /

noun

1. a large piece of landed property, esp in the country

2. a large area of property development, esp of new houses or ( trading estate ) of factories

3. property law

   1. property or possessions

   2. the nature of interest that a person has in land or other property, esp in relation to the right of others

   3. the total extent of the real and personal property of a deceased person or bankrupt

4. Also called: estate of the realm. an order or class of persons in a political community, regarded collectively as a part of the body politic: usually regarded as being the lords temporal (peers), lords spiritual, and commons See also States General fourth estate

5. state, period, or position in life, esp with regard to wealth or social standing

   youth's estate

   a poor man's estate

Word History and Origins

Origin of estate¹

1175–1225; Middle English estat < Middle French; cognate with Provençal estat. See state

Word History and Origins

Origin of estate¹

C13: from Old French estat, from Latin status condition, _state

Synonym Study

See property.

Example Sentences

If she did pay your brother’s expenses, they again would have to agree to this in writing before those expenses were incurred to avoid legal and estate issues.

Read more on MarketWatch

Officials also announced Monday that some of the exterior netting used on scaffolding at the housing estate did not meet fire-resistance standards.

Read more on Barron's

The estate released the emails to the committee after receiving a subpoena.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Weakness in the real estate and residential services sectors helped drag the figure down 0.6 percentage points from October.

Read more on Barron's

Surprise heirs like Thomas are popping up because of DNA test kits, lawyers say, and wreaking havoc for families handling their loved ones’ estates.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• area 
• farm 
• parcel 
• plantation 
• ranch 
• residence