Mortmain definition
Mortmain means “dead hand” in the Anglo-Norman variant of French spoken in England during the Late Middle Ages. The most widely accepted explanation of the term’s invention and application is that given by Lord Coke:
Examples of Mortmain in a sentence
The King invoked the Law of Mortmain, the dead man’s hand, so people couldn’t pass their land on to the church or anyone else without the King’s permission, (modern day probate?).
To try and prevent this the King invoked the Law of Mortmain, 'the dead man's hand', so people couldn't pass their land on to the church or anyone else without the King's permission.