easement
EEZ-munt
/ˈiːz.mənt/
A legal right to cross or use another person's land for a specified limited purpose, such as utility access or walking paths.
Grants restricted access rights without transferring actual land ownership.
The story behind the word. Evolved from Anglo-French legal vocabulary meaning 'convenience or accommodation'. It originally described allowing a neighbor entry to make their life easier, such as gathering water from a shared stream.
Word relationships
- right-of-way: 'Right-of-way' is a specific type of easement granting passage through property, whereas 'easement' includes non-transit access like utility pipes.
- encroachment: 'Encroachment' is an illegal, unauthorized intrusion onto another's property, whereas an easement is fully legal.
Commonly confused with
- covenant: A 'covenant' is a restriction on how land can be used, while an 'easement' grants positive limited usage rights.
Collocations
- utility easement
- drainage easement
- grant an easement
- public easement
- access easement
Example sentences
- "The electric utility company secured a public easement allowing maintenance workers to lay subterranean cables across private property." Utility installation dispute
- "The property owner granted a perpetual pedestrian easement across his driveway to allow neighbors access to the beach." Property access agreement
Memory hook
EASE-ment = Making life EASI-er for utility crews or neighbors to pass through land. Legal permission to walk on or run pipes under someone else's ground.
When not to use
Do not use 'easement' when describing complete property ownership transfer or tenancy leases.
Fun facts
- An 'easement in gross' benefits a specific utility company or government agency rather than a neighboring piece of property.
Related words
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