Entail
/ɪnˈteɪl/noun
To limit the inheritance of property to certain heirs, or to involve something as a necessary consequence.
Did you know?The legal sense of *entail* comes from Norman French *entailer*, from the idea of cutting a fee into a fixed inheritance line—language turning property into a binding chain of fate.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
LL
taliare
“to cut”
Old French
OF
entailier
“to cut into pieces; carve, shape”
Middle English
ME
entaylen
“to cut or carve; later, to limit inheritance”
14th Century
English
entail
“to settle property on heirs in a restricted line of descent”
Modern English
English
entail
“to impose as a necessary condition or consequence; also, to restrict inheritance by legal settlement”