Definition of deodand Deodand
de•o•dand
We found 3 definitions of deodand from 3 different sources.
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What does deodand mean?
Wiktionary 
Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘
- deodand (n.)
A personal chattel which had caused the death of a person, and for that reason was given to God, that is, forfeited to the crown, to be applied to pious uses, and distributed in alms by the high almoner. Thus, if a cart ran over a man and killed him, it was forfeited as a deodand.
Chambers DictionaryChamber's 20th Century Dictionary 📕
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deodand
dē′o-dand, n. in old English law, a personal chattel which had been the immediate, accidental cause of the death of a human being, forfeited to the crown for pious uses. [L. deo, to God, dandum, that must be given—dăre, to give.]
