Word of the Day
: August 13, 2011predial
playWhat It Means
: of or relating to land or its products
predial in Context
"The lease of a predial estate, when the time has not been specified, is presumed to be for one year.…" -- From the 1993 edition of the Louisiana Civil Code
"The new rustic servitudes were conceived as property rights attached to the land itself and considered predial servitudes." -- From Cynthia Jordan Bannon's 2009 book Gardens and Neighbors
Did You Know?
"Predial" is used for land matters; for example, there's "predial tax" (real estate tax) or "predial larceny" (stealing crops from the fields). The state of Louisiana employs "predial" in numerous sections of its Civil Code (and is distinguished from other states by its use of the word). The word derives from the Latin noun for "landed property," "praedium." "Praedium" in turn is based on "praed-," meaning "bondsman" -- that is, one who is legally liable for the debt of another.
Test Your Memory
What word completes this sentence from a recent Word of the Day piece: "The employee left the company of his own ___________"?