noun

chattel

CHAT-ul

Chattel (noun) means an item of movable personal property, such as furniture, livestock or a vehicle, as distinct from land and buildings. Example: “The lease covered the premises but not the chattels inside.”

noun

legal An item of movable personal property, such as furniture, livestock or a vehicle, as distinct from land and buildings.

"The lease covered the premises but not the chattels inside."

"Farm machinery is treated as a chattel for tax purposes."

historical A person treated as the outright property of another, especially an enslaved person.

"Chattel slavery reduced human beings to items on an inventory."

"Under the old law a wife's earnings were treated much as a chattel would be."

How to Use Chattel

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishSomething you own that can be moved, like furniture rather than a house.

When to use it

Mainly legal and financial; in everyday speech it survives chiefly in the phrase goods and chattels and in chattel slavery.

Memory tip

Chattel and cattle come from the same root, which is why the two words look so similar; only chattel means property in general.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

cattle → chatter → chalet →

Common pairings

goods and chattels chattel mortgage chattel slavery fixtures and chattels personal chattels

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The lease covered the premises but not the _____ inside.

Etymology

From Old French chatel meaning property or goods, from Latin capitale, capital; it is a doublet of both cattle and capital.

Origin: Old French

Synonyms

View more →

movable personal property goods possession effects

Antonyms

real property realty

Related Words

things having property product stock holding mobile absence

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a chattel and a fixture?

A chattel is movable and stays with the owner, while a fixture is attached to the building and passes with it on sale. A free-standing cooker is a chattel; a fitted kitchen is a fixture.

What does chattel slavery mean?

It is a system in which enslaved people were legally owned as property, could be bought, sold and inherited, and their children were born into the same status. It contrasts with forms of bondage tied to debt or to a particular piece of land.

Is chattel related to cattle?

Yes. Both descend from Latin capitale meaning wealth, and cattle originally meant property of any kind before narrowing to livestock.

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