freehold
freehold Lexical Profile
freehold Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to, held by, or having the legal status of permanent and absolute ownership of land and property.
"Most detached houses in the region are sold as freehold properties rather than long-term leases."
• noun
Permanent and absolute tenure of land or property with freedom to dispose of it at will, or an estate or piece of land held by such legal right.
"The residents formed a cooperative to purchase the freehold of their apartment building from the landlord."
Word Nuance & Usage
In property law, 'freehold' contrasts directly with 'leasehold': a freehold grants permanent ownership of both the building and the land it stands on, whereas a leasehold grants temporary ownership of the property for a fixed number of years while a landlord retains the land.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Dating back to the late 15th century, 'freehold' combines 'free' and 'hold' as a loan translation of Anglo-Norman 'franc tenemant' (from Medieval Latin 'liberum tenementum'), originally denoting feudal land held by a freeman without the servile obligations of a serf.