HEREDITAMENT (from

See also:

• LAT

Lat. heredilare, to inherit, heres,

See also:

• HEIR (Lat. heres, from a root meaning to grasp, seen in heres or erus, master of a house, Gr. xeip, hand, Sans. hat ana, hand)

heir)  , in law, every kind of property that can be inherited . Hereditaments are divided into corporeal and incorporeal; corporeal hereditaments are " such as affect the senses, and may be seen and handled by the body; incorporeal are not the subject of sensation, can neither be seen nor handled, are creatures of the mind, and exist only in contemplation " (Blackstone, Commentaries) . An example of a corporeal hereditament is land held in freehold, of incorporeal herditaments, tithes, advowsons, pensions, annuities, rents, franchises, &c . It is still used in the phrase " lands, tenements and hereditaments " to describe property in land, as distinguished from goods and chattels or movable property .