chattel
/ˈtʃætl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtʃætl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈcha-tᵊl/ (ame, mw)
chattel — noun
- chattelsingular
- chattelsplural
1. an item of movable personal property that someone owns — for example, furniture,
an item of movable personal property that someone owns — for example, furniture, jewellery, livestock, or a car — as distinct from land or buildings.
Under the old will, Felix inherited the farmhouse, while his sister received all the chattels inside it.
contrast: land vs. chattels in inheritance
The bailiffs arrived early and listed every chattel in the small shop.
plural countable: list/seize chattels
Roya packed her goods and chattels into a single van and drove east to Bristol.
The insurance policy covered the building but not the chattels stored in the cellar.
Roman law treated slaves as chattels, a status modern legal systems have rejected.
- belongings
everyday, neutral; covers any personal items
- possessions
neutral; broader than chattel, can include money or rights
- movables
legal term; close synonym, contrasts with 'immovables' (land)
- effects
formal; often used of a deceased person's personal items
- real estate
land and buildings, the legal opposite of chattel
- real property
legal antonym used in property law
文法句型
someone's chattels
goods and chattels
用法筆記
Almost always plural in modern use; the singular sounds archaic outside legal writing. Frequently appears in the fixed phrase 'goods and chattels' and in wills, insurance, and bankruptcy contexts.