fideicommissum

American  

[fahy-dee-ahy-kuh-mis-uhm] / ˌfaɪ di aɪ kəˈmɪs əm /

noun

Civil Law.

plural

fideicommissa

1. a request by a decedent that the heir or legatee to the estate convey a specified part of the estate to another person, or permit another person to enjoy such a part.

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fideicommissum British  

/ ˌfɪdɪaɪkəˈmɪsəm /

noun

1. civil law a gift of property, usually by will, to be held on behalf of another who cannot receive the gift directly

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Etymology

Origin of fideicommissum

1720–30; < Late Latin fideī commissum entrusted to faith, equivalent to fideī, dative singular of fidēs faith + commissum, past participle of committere to commit

Example Sentences

You must be then both the first and the last, and you must not let him slip; not you, but your second, your aide-de-camp, your fideicommissum, or rather your protectress, the Comtesse de Montluisant.

From The Grip of Desire by France, Hector