Dictionary

chattel en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈt͡ʃæt.l̩/

Etymology

From Middle English chatel, from Old French chatel, from Medieval Latin capitāle (English capital), from Latin capitālis (“of the head”), from caput (“head”) + -alis (“-al”). Compare the doublet cattle (“cows”), which is from an Anglo-Norman variant. Compare also capital and kith and kine (“all one’s possessions”), which also use “cow” to mean “property”.

Meanings

1. Tangible, movable property.
   • […] although of course the firm had changed hands many times over the centuries, […] But the box has always been part of the chattels, as it were. 1990, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Good Omens, Corgi, page 387:
2. A slave.
   • Not all his servants and chattels are wraiths! 1955, J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring [Book 2, Chapter 1 - Many Meetings]

Forms

Deriveds

chattel house · chattelism · chattel paper · chattelship · chattelhood · human chattel · chattel slavery

Relateds

capital · cattle

Translations (44)

bg движимо имущество (tangible, movable property) · nl goed (tangible, movable property) · eo sklavo (slave) · gl móbel (tangible, movable property) · da løsøre (tangible, movable property) · uk неві́льник (slave) · uk неві́льниця (slave) · pl ruchomość (tangible, movable property) · fi sielu (slave) · vi động sản (tangible, movable property) · uk раби́ня (slave) · af slaaf (slave) · nl have (tangible, movable property) · hu ingóság (tangible, movable property) · sv lösöre (tangible, movable property) · de Habe (tangible, movable property) · pl niewolnica (slave) · nl eigendom (tangible, movable property) · uk раб (slave) · fi irtain (tangible, movable property) · uk рухо́ме майно́ (tangible, movable property) · es esclavo (slave) · cs movitost (tangible, movable property) · de bewegliches Gut (tangible, movable property) · ru раб (slave) · ja 動産 (tangible, movable property) · gl ben móbel (tangible, movable property) · fi orja (slave) · uk рухо́мість (tangible, movable property) · cmn 動產 /动产 (tangible, movable property) · mi rirohanga (tangible, movable property) · pl majątek ruchomy (tangible, movable property) · non lausaeyrir (tangible, movable property) · hu rabszolga (slave) · ru движимое иму́щество (tangible, movable property) · nl bezit (tangible, movable property) · af eiendom (tangible, movable property) · ko 동산 (tangible, movable property) · eo moveblaĵo (tangible, movable property) · pl niewolnik (slave) · uk раба́ (slave) · hu ingó vagyon (tangible, movable property) · eo propraĵo (tangible, movable property) · bg движимост (tangible, movable property)