headright

American  

[hed-rahyt] / ˈhɛdˌraɪt /

noun

1. Law. a beneficial interest for each member of an Indian tribe in the tribal trust fund accruing from the lease of tribal oil, gas, and mineral rights, the sale of tribal lands, etc.

2. American History. a grant of land, usually 50 acres to a settler, given by certain colonies and companies in the 17th and 18th centuries.

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Etymology

Origin of headright

An Americanism dating back to 1695–1705; head + right

Example Sentences

Then Anthony Johnson bought a farm near the tip of the Delmarva Peninsula through The Virginia Colony’s headright system.

From Slate • May 18, 2015

Then Anthony Johnson bought a farm near the tip of the Delmarva Peninsula through the Virginia Colony’s headright system.

From Slate • May 18, 2015

The headright system and the promise of a new life for servants acted as powerful incentives for English migrants to hazard the journey to the New World.

From Textbooks • Dec. 30, 2014

The price of a barrel of oil, which reached more than $3 during the boom years, plummeted to 65 cents in 1931, and an annual headright payment fell to less than $800.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

There was one legal way, though, that someone could still obtain a headright: inheritance.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann