Category:Mortmain

Mort"main`, n. Etym: [F. mort, morte, dead + main hand; F. main- morte. See Mortal, and Manual.] (Law)

Defn: Possession of lands or tenements in, or conveyance to, dead hands, or hands that cannot alienate.

Note: The term was originally applied to conveyance of land made to ecclesiastical bodies; afterward to conveyance made to any corporate body. Burrill.