easement

noun

ease·​ment ˈēz-mənt 

1

: an act or means of easing or relieving (as from discomfort)

2

: an interest in land owned by another that entitles its holder to a specific limited use or enjoyment

also : an area of land covered by an easement

Examples of easement in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The pipeline company must finally secure contiguous property for the entire pipeline route through easements or the arduous legal process of eminent domain. —Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024

Partners also hold conservation easements to avoid future groundwater pumping and development in parcels close to the river. —Clara Migoya, The Arizona Republic, 2 Nov. 2024

However, neither leak was disclosed as the company this spring petitioned the city of Decatur for an easement to expand its operations. —Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco / Grist, Quartz, 21 Oct. 2024

But any company looking to build the multibillion-dollar effort to carry Canadian crude oil to the U.S. would need to start from scratch because things like easements have been returned to landowners. —Jarrett Renshaw, USA TODAY, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

easement

noun

ease·​ment ˈēz-mənt 

: an interest in land owned by another that entitles its holder to a specific limited use or enjoyment (as the right to cross the land or have a view continue unobstructed over it) see also dominant estate and servient estate at estate sense 4 compare license, profit sense 2, right-of-way, servitude

— affirmative easement

: an easement entitling a person to do something affecting the land of another that would constitute trespass or a nuisance if not for the easement compare negative easement in this entry

— apparent easement

: an easement whose existence is detectable by its outward appearance (as by the presence of a water pipe)

— appurtenant easement \ ə-​ˈpərt-​ᵊn-​ənt-​ \

: easement appurtenant in this entry

— common easement

: an easement in which the owner of the land burdened by the easement retains the privilege of sharing the benefits of the easement

called also nonexclusive easement

compare exclusive easement in this entry

— conservation easement

: an easement granted by a landowner to a public or private entity (as a land trust) in which the landowner agrees to restrictions on use of the land (as from development) and the holder agrees to enforce the restrictions

— determinable easement

: an easement that will terminate upon the happening of a specific event or contingency

— easement appurtenant easements appurtenant

: an easement attached to and benefiting a dominant estate and burdening a servient estate compare easement in gross in this entry

Note: Easements appurtenant run with the land and are therefore passed when the property is transferred.

— easement by estoppel

: an easement that is created when the conduct of the owner of land leads another to reasonably believe that he or she has an interest in the land so that he or she acts or does not act in reliance on that belief

— easement by implication

: an easement that is created by operation of law when an owner severs property into two parcels in such a way that an already existing, obvious, and continuous use of one parcel (as for access) is necessary for the reasonable enjoyment of the other parcel

called also easement by necessity, implied easement, way of necessity

— easement by prescription

: an easement created by the open, notorious, uninterrupted, hostile, and adverse use of another's land for 20 years or for a period set by statute

called also prescriptive easement

— easement in gross

: an easement that is a personal right of its holder to a use of another's land and that is not dependent on ownership of a dominant estate

called also personal easement

compare easement appurtenant in this entry

Note: Utility companies often own easements in gross.

— exclusive easement

: an easement that the holder has the right to enjoy to the exclusion of all others compare common easement in this entry

— implied easement

: easement by implication in this entry

— negative easement

: an easement that entitles the holder to prevent the owner of land from using the land for a purpose or in a way that would otherwise be permitted

— nonexclusive easement

: common easement in this entry

— personal easement

: easement in gross in this entry

— prescriptive easement

: easement by prescription in this entry

— quasi easement

: the use by the owner of two adjoining parcels of land of one of the parcels to benefit the other

Note: A quasi easement may become an easement upon the transfer of one or both of the parcels.

— reciprocal negative easement

: an easement created by operation of law and held by the owner of a lot in a residential development that entitles the holder to enforce restrictions that were part of the general development scheme against the developer and subsequent buyers who purchase free of the restrictions

Etymology

Anglo-French esement, literally, benefit, convenience, from Old French aisement, from aisier to ease, assist