homestead law

noun

plural homestead laws

1

: a law protecting a homestead (see homestead entry 1 sense 1a) from seizure or sale while the owner is being held liable for a debt

For the owner of a $125,000 house that's a primary residence and protected by state homestead laws, the value will increase only 2.1 percent, and $50,000 in value will be tax-exempt.

—Brittany Wallman

2

: any of several legislative acts authorizing the sale or free provision of public lands in homesteads (see homestead entry 1 sense 2)

Wyoming culture was also changed by the arrival of the railroad, … as well as the small ranchers and farmers attracted by the homestead laws.

—Richard J. Wall, Jr.

Our land laws for the entry of agricultural lands are now as follows: The original homestead law, with the requirements of residence and cultivation for five years, much more strictly enforced now than ever before.

—William Howard Taft

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for homestead law

• avoirdupois
• aa
• aha
• bashaw
• bradshaw
• byelaw
• bylaw
• chainsaw
• cheraw
• coleslaw
• crenshaw
• dada