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bona vacantia

noun plural bo·na va·can·tia \ ˈbō-nə-vā-ˈkan-shē-ə \

legal Definition of bona vacantia

:goods that are unclaimed and without an apparent owner
  • it was trash, in the nature of bona vacantia, which the defendants had abandoned
  • —United States v. Calise, 217 F. Supp. 705 (1962)

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Origin and Etymology of bona vacantia

Latin, ownerless goods

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