deodand

noun de·o·dand \ ˈdēəˌdand \

Definition of deodand

plural -s

: a thing that by English law before 1846 was forfeited to the crown and thence to pious uses because it had been the immediate cause of the death of a person

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Origin and Etymology of deodand

Anglo-French deodande, from Medieval Latin deodandum, from Latin Deo dandum that must be given to God

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