term of years determinable
- noun
- Formal
- The contract specified a term of years determinable that would end if the property was sold.
Examples
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Their lease was granted for a term of years determinable by the landlord's death.
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Understanding the implications of a term of years determinable is vital when signing a tenancy agreement.
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The contract specified a term of years determinable should certain conditions arise.
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A lease can be a term of years determinable.
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The term of years determinable allows early termination.
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Their lease was a term of years determinable due to the possibility of the tenant's relocation.
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Before signing, the lawyer explained that a term of years determinable allows for early termination under certain conditions.
Synonyms
A fixed period of time during which something happens, for example a school session or a prison sentence
An agreement that lets someone use property for money for a fixed time
A fixed time when a contract stays valid
Surface Forms
Morphology
term + of + year + determinable
The components 'term' + 'years' transparently indicate a multi-year period and 'determinable' signals that this period can be "determined" (i.e. decided or changed), so a learner who knows the words can form a rough idea that it is a period of years that is not absolute. However, the precise legal sense — that the lease can be terminated early upon a specified event — is specialized and not fully predictable from the everyday meaning of 'determinable', so learners may not reliably infer the exact implication without exposure.
Etymology
Term of years determinable describes a lease that looks fixed but can finish when a certain event happens. Think of renting a house 'for ten years' but with the rule 'until the owner dies' — the term, the time in years, is determinable by that event, so the lease can 'end early'.