eminent domain
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eminent domain
Where it comes from
Calque of New Latin dominium ēminēns (literally “supreme ownership”).
noun
-
The right of a government over the private property within its jurisdiction. Usually invoked to compel land owners to sell their property in preparation for a major construction project such as a freeway.
The city council used eminent domain to make me sell my store.
Similar: compulsory purchase, compulsory acquisition, expropriation, superiority
- In feudalism, the legal interest or rights of a lord or superior in an estate in land held in fee, as opposed to the vassal's or tenant's interest.
Opposite: utile domain, inferiority
Thesaurus
noun
Opposite: utile domain, inferiority
Translations
Every language
noun government's right to expropriate private land
| Español | expropiación |
|---|---|
| Português | desapropriação |
| Français | expropriation, expropriation pour cause d'utilité publique |
| Deutsch | Enteignung |
| Italiano | espropriazione per pubblica utilità, occupazione d'urgenza |
noun lord's property interest in a fief or fee
| Français | domaine direct, domaine éminent |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Obereigentum |
Talk about this word "eminent domain." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/eminent%20domain. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. eminent domain. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/eminent%20domain "eminent domain." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/eminent%20domain.Cite this
@misc{eminent_domain_2026,
title = {eminent domain},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/eminent%20domain},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
