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Oct 2, 2009
This week's themeWords derived from hands and feet This week's words prestidigitation antipodal legerdemain expediency mortmain This week's comments AWADmail 379 Next week's theme Autumn colors 
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with Anu Gargmortmain
PRONUNCIATION:
(MOHRT-mayn)
MEANING:
noun:1. The perpetual ownership of property by institutions such as churches. 2. The often stifling influence of the past on the present and the living. ETYMOLOGY:
From Anglo-Norman mortmayn, feminine of morte (dead) + main (hand),
from Latin mortua manus (dead hand). Ultimately from the Indo-European
root man- (hand) that's also the source of manage, maintain, maneuver,
manufacture, manuscript, and command.
NOTES:
Imagine a B-movie scene of a dead hand stretching out of a grave and
you have the picture of the word mortmain. The idea behind mortmain is of a
dead hand reaching beyond to hold a property in perpetuity. By extension,
the word describes the past dictating the present in an oppressive manner.Unlike the passing of an asset to a child on the death of a parent, institutions such as churches hold property forever. Over time, through donations, etc., they can acquire a large amount of real estate which cannot be distributed or revert to the crown. Also, in such cases there is a loss of revenue from inheritance tax. The English King Edward I passed the Statutes of Mortmain in 1279 and again in 1290 to limit such holding of property in perpetuity without royal authorization. USAGE:
"On what grounds do we allow the dead to bind the living? Courts used to
adhere to a 'rule against perpetuities' and were suspicious of mortmain,
of the 'dead hand' of documents drawn up long ago."Christopher Caldwell; Philanthropy Goes to the Dogs; Financial Times (London, UK); Jul 5, 2008. "Martins felt that somehow this knowledge would pay the mortmain that memory levies on human beings." Graham Greene; The Third Man; 1949. See more usage examples of mortmain in Vocabulary.com's dictionary. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
It is hard enough to remember my opinions, without also remembering my reasons for them. -Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, philosopher (1844-1900)
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