estate
Other forms: estates
The word estate is mostly used to mean a massive and fabulous house on a big piece of land. When you own an estate, it usually means you have a whole lot of money to go along with it.
While an estate refers mostly to land and a house on it, it can also refer to all of a person’s possessions — and this sense of the word is often used after someone has died to refer to everything they are leaving behind. “You are set to inherit half of your grandfather’s estate, which includes his entire collection of stuffed raccoons.” In the past (and sometimes still) estate was also used to refer to someone’s state or condition, as well as his or her social standing.
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extensive landed property (especially in the country) retained by the owner for his own use“the family owned a large estate on Long Island”
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synonyms:
acres, demesne, land, landed estate
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types:
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freehold
an estate held in fee simple or for life
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glebe
plot of land belonging to an English parish church or an ecclesiastical office
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leasehold
land or property held under a lease
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smallholding
a piece of land under 50 acres that is sold or let to someone for cultivation
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homestead
land acquired from the United States public lands by filing a record and living on and cultivating it under the homestead law
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feoff, fief
a piece of land held under the feudal system
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barony
the estate of a baron
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countryseat
an estate in the country
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Crown land
land that belongs to the Crown
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manor
the landed estate of a lord (including the house on it)
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seigneury, seigniory, signory
the estate of a seigneur
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hacienda, latifundium
a large estate in Spanish-speaking countries
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plantation
an estate where cash crops are grown on a large scale (especially in tropical areas)
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entail
land received by fee tail
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orangery
a place where oranges are grown; a plantation of orange trees in warm climes or a greenhouse in cooler areas
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type of:
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immovable, real estate, real property, realty
property consisting of houses and land
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everything you own; all of your assets (whether real property or personal property) and liabilities
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types:
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gross estate
the total valuation of the estate's assets at the time of the person's death
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net estate
the estate remaining after debts and funeral expenses and administrative expenses have been deducted from the gross estate; the estate then left to be distributed (and subject to federal and state inheritance taxes)
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estate for life, life estate
(law) an estate whose duration is limited to the life of the person holding it
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jointure, legal jointure
(law) an estate secured to a prospective wife as a marriage settlement in lieu of a dower
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dower
a life estate to which a wife is entitled on the death of her husband
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type of:
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belongings, holding, property
something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone
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a major social class or order of persons regarded collectively as part of the body politic of the country (especially in the United Kingdom) and formerly possessing distinct political rights
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synonyms:
estate of the realm, the three estates
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types:
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Lords Spiritual, first estate
the clergy in France and the heads of the church in Britain
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Lords Temporal, second estate
the nobility in France and the peerage in Britain
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Commons, third estate
the common people
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fourth estate
the press, including journalists, newspaper writers, photographers
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type of:
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class, social class, socio-economic class, stratum
people having the same social, economic, or educational status
/ɛsˈteɪt/
/ɪˈsteɪt/
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Vocabulary lists containing estate
A celebrated classic of the graphic novel form, Maus explores a man's relationship with his Holocaust-survivor father and with history itself.
In September, 1952, Richard Nixon, a young senator from California, was nominated to run for Vice President. Days later, however, he was accused of accepting funds from campaign donors to use for personal expenses. Nixon chose to use the new medium of television to defend himself. In a televised speech, he admitted to receiving one gift — a cocker spaniel named Checkers. He explained that his two young daughters loved the dog and would not give it up. The speech was a tremendous success, and Nixon went on to serve two terms as Vice President. Ironically, another television performance, a debate with John Kennedy in 1960, cost him the election that year. Nixon was elected President in 1968, but ultimately resigned in the wake of the Watergate scandal.
Vocabulary from "Beowulf" (translated by by Gummere).