Meaning & use

Fideicommissum

noun·Advanced

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In Roman-derived civil law systems, a testamentary direction by which property is left to one person with the obligation to pass it on, in whole or in part, to another designated beneficiary.

See it in a sentence

Under the will's fideicommissum, the estate passed to the daughter only for her lifetime before transferring to her children.

The lawyer explained how a fideicommissum could keep a family farm from being sold outside the bloodline.

A note on using this word

A Latin legal term still used in jurisdictions influenced by Roman-Dutch or civil law, such as South Africa and Scotland, roughly comparable to a common-law trust.

Words with a similar meaning

trust bequest

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