Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

mortmain

/ˈmɔɹt.meɪn/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.54 in modern English

Syllables
mort-main
IPA
/ˈmɔɹt.meɪn/
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The perpetual, inalienable possession of lands by a corporation or non-personal entity such as a church.

Uncountable

noun

A strong and inalienable possession.

Literary; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman mortmayn, morte meyn, from Old French mortes meins, after Late Latin phrase mortua manus. See Latin mortuus (“dead”) + manus (“hand”).

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈmɔɹt.meɪn/
  • British English: /ˈmɔːt.meɪn/

Usage

Inflected Forms

mortmains (plural)

Phrases

Statutes of Mortmain

Frequently Paired Words

Statutes of Mortmain

Synonyms

dead hand dead hand of the past

Questions

How do you pronounce mortmain?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɔɹt.meɪn/.
What does mortmain mean?
The perpetual, inalienable possession of lands by a corporation or non-personal entity such as a church.
Where does mortmain come from?
From Anglo-Norman mortmayn, morte meyn, from Old French mortes meins, after Late Latin phrase mortua manus. See Latin mortuus (“dead”) + manus (“hand”).

How to pronounce mortmain

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “mortmain”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmɔɹt.meɪn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “mortmain”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “mortmain” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.