quitrent

American

[kwit-rent] / ˈkwɪtˌrɛnt /

noun

rent paid by a freeholder or copyholder in lieu of services that might otherwise have been required.

quitrent British

/ ˈkwɪtˌrɛnt /

noun

(formerly) a rent payable by a freeholder or copyholder to his lord that released him from liability to perform services

"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

Etymology

Origin of quitrent

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; quit ¹, rent ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Well-connected settlers could receive even larger grants, or purchase land for low prices and an annual fee, or quitrent.

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

Those who brought in new settlers got headrights of land and could purchase more, but owed an annual quitrent in return.

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

They granted headrights to settlers and sold much larger tracts of land to developers and speculators, subject to an annual quitrent.

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

On other estates the serfs' compulsory labor was commuted for a quitrent.

From War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo, graf

In the vicinity of Bogucharovo were large villages belonging to the crown or to owners whose serfs paid quitrent and could work where they pleased.

From War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo, graf

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023