Entail - Definition - Law Dictionary Home Dictionary Definition entail

entail

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[Middle English entaillen, from en-, causative prefix + taille restriction on inheritance see tail ]
: to make (an estate in real property) a fee tail
: limit the descent of (real property) by restricting inheritance to specific descendants who cannot convey or transfer the property [estates are ed entire on the eldest male heir "Benjamin Franklin"]
en·tail·ment n

n 1 : an act or instance of entailing real property
;also
: the practice of entailing property [the repeal of the laws of would prevent the accumulation and perpetuation of wealth in select families "Thomas Jefferson"] see also De Donis Conditionalibus in the Important Laws section
2 : an entailed estate in real property [if s had not become barrable "Eileen Spring"]
3 : the fixed line of descent of an entailed estate