Logo
dictionary thesaurus

chattel

noun
chat·​tel | \ ˈcha-tᵊl How to pronounce chattel (audio) \

Definition of chattel

1 : an item of tangible movable or immovable property except real estate and things (such as buildings) connected with real property
2 : slave, bondman slaveholders who were determined to hold on to their human chattel
Synonyms & Antonyms What is the Difference Between chattel and slave? More Example Sentences Learn More about chattel

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms & Antonyms for chattel

Synonyms

bondman (also bondsman), slave, thrall

Antonyms

freeman

Visit the Thesaurus for More 

What is the Difference Between chattel and slave?

The word chattel is encountered in two main senses. The earlier of the two is primarily technical and refers to property, specifically property that is distinct from real estate holdings. The second meaning of chattel can excite considerable emotion, as it refers to humans as property, i.e., slaves. Chattel, slave and the less common bondman and thrall are all synonyms for a person held in servitude by another. Chattel and cattle both come to English from the same source: each is descended from the Medieval Latin word capitale, which itself traces to the Latin caput meaning “head.”

Examples of chattel in a Sentence

at one time, the children of black slaves were also considered chattel packed up all her chattels and moved to a new state

Recent Examples on the Web

 The rebellion collapsed by 1865, and with it the institution of chattel slavery. — Kevin Waite, The New Republic, "California’s Forgotten Confederate History," 19 Aug. 2019 Their story marks an important historical transition, as the North American colonies began to turn away from indentured servitude and instead rely on chattel slavery. — National Geographic, "400 years ago, enslaved Africans first arrived in Virginia," 13 Aug. 2019 And why does all this matter over 150 years after the end of chattel slavery in the U.S.? — Jameelah Nasheed, Teen Vogue, "What are Reparations, How Could They Happen, and Why Do They Matter?," 8 Aug. 2019 Rhode Island farms sold food to Caribbean slave plantations and later Rhode Island textile mills clothed enslaved workers until the last days of chattel slavery. — Crystal Whaley, Essence, "Did You Know Providence Rhode Island Is Full of Black History & Culture?," 6 Aug. 2019 Sisters were steeped in — and largely accepted — Southern culture, practices and beliefs, including chattel slavery, according to Mannard. — Hannah Natanson, Washington Post, "An elite D.C. girls’ school thought its founding nuns taught slaves to read. Instead, they sold them off for as much as they could.," 3 Aug. 2019 Use of the Twitch logo on ArtifactStreams.com amounts to trademark infringement, the complaint says, while the posting of the streams themselves amounts to breach of contract, trespass to chattels, and fraud. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Twitch sues users who posted porn, racism, and more to Artifact stream page," 19 June 2019 The same is true of our conception of freedom, as it was articulated again by Henry Ward Beecher and other great abolitionists in the struggle against the international economic juggernaut of chattel slavery. — Marilynne Robinson, Harper's magazine, "Is Poverty Necessary?," 10 June 2019 The state’s language closely resembles a contested passage that remains in the US Constitution 13th Amendment, which outlawed chattel slavery, but allowed those convicted of crimes to be forced into labor. — P.r. Lockhart, Vox, "Colorado passes Amendment A, voting to officially abolish prison slavery," 7 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chattel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of chattel

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for chattel

Middle English chatel property, from Anglo-French — more at cattle

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for chattel

chattel

noun
How to pronounce chattel (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of chattel

old-fashioned : something (such as a slave, piece of furniture, tool, etc.) that a person owns other than land or buildings

See the full definition for chattel in the English Language Learners Dictionary

chattel

noun
chat·​tel | \ ˈchat-ᵊl How to pronounce chattel (audio) \

Legal Definition of chattel

: an item of tangible or intangible personal property especially : chattel personal in this entry

Note: In some jurisdictions the term chattel is restricted to items of tangible and movable personal property. Other jurisdictions also classify intangible assets and property items as chattels.

— chattel personal plural chattels personal
: an item of tangible movable personal property (as livestock or an automobile) that is not permanently connected with real estate
— chattel real plural chattels real
: an interest (as a leasehold or profit a prendre) in an item of immovable property (as land or a building) that is less than a freehold estate — compare fixture

Note: Interests that are considered chattels real have been treated by the common law as personal property despite being interests in real property.

History and Etymology for chattel

Old French chatel goods, property, from Medieval Latin capitale, from neuter of capitalis chief, principal — see capital

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

vexillology

play

See Definitions and Examples

Get Word of the Day daily email!