Main Entry: ¹es·cheat

Pronunciation: \is-ˈchēt, ish-ˈchēt\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English eschete, from Anglo-French, reversion of property, from escheir to fall, devolve, from Vulgar Latin *excadēre, from Latin ex- + Vulgar Latin *cadēre to fall, from Latin cadere — more at chance

Date: 14th century

1 : escheated property
2 a : the reversion of lands in English feudal law to the lord of the fee when there are no heirs capable of inheriting under the original grant b : the reversion of property to the crown in England or to the state in the United States when there are no legal heirs