chattel

Meaning

1. Tangible, movable property.
2. A slave.

Concepts

chattel

movable

personal chattel

chattels personal

movable possession

bondman

bondsman

slave

chose

personalty

chattels

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈt͡ʃæt.l̩/

Etymology

From Middle English chatel, from Old French chatel, from Medieval Latin capitāle (English capital), from Latin capitālis (“of the head”), from caput (“head”) + -alis (“-al”). Compare the doublet cattle (“cows”), which is from an Anglo-Norman variant. Compare also capital and kith and kine (“all one’s possessions”), which also use “cow” to mean “property”.