estate for life
- noun
- Formal
:
usufructo vitalicio
- She inherited an estate for life from her grandmother.
Examples
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The widow occupied the house under her estate for life until her death.
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He inherited only an estate for life and could not sell the property permanently.
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In legal disputes, an estate for life can affect the transfer of ownership.
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The estate for life provides security to the holder.
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She inherited an estate for life, allowing her to live in the house until she passed away.
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The agreement granted him an estate for life, meaning he could use the land as long as he lived.
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After the owner died, the estate for life transferred to his eldest child, who continued to care for the property.
Synonyms
1
8.9
A right to live in a home or use property until someone's death
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an interest in property that lasts for the holder's lifetime' is directly derivable from combining 'estate' (property/assets) with the duration marker 'for' and 'life' (lifetime). Although it is a legal term with technical nuances, the compositional pattern X + for + life is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would grasp the basic meaning.
Etymology
The phrase estate for life comes from the simple idea of giving someone a house or land to use only for their whole life. An estate is the property and for life means until they 'die', so the person can live there but cannot sell it forever, and that's why it means the right to the property only until their death.