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easement

EEZ-muhnt /ˈiːz.mənt/

nounC2GREGMATUPSC

legalprofessional

A right to cross or otherwise use someone else's land for a specified purpose.

A highly specific legal right that does not grant ownership of the land, but rather a permanent or temporary permission for a specific use (like a driveway or utility line).

The story behind the word. Easement comes from the Old French 'aisement', meaning 'comfort' or 'convenience'. In medieval English law, it came to mean a 'convenience' granted to a neighbor—specifically, the convenience of crossing your land so they didn't have to walk miles out of their way. Thus, a legal right was born out of neighborly convenience.

Word relationships

right-of-way: A right-of-way is a specific type of easement that allows someone to pass through property, whereas an easement can also cover non-passage rights like running pipes.
license: A license is a personal, revocable permission to use land, whereas an easement is a permanent property right that transfers with the sale of the land.

encroachment: An encroachment is an illegal, unpermitted intrusion on land, whereas an easement is a legally permitted right of use.

Commonly confused with

lease: A lease grants exclusive possession of property for a time, whereas an easement only grants a limited, non-exclusive right to use a portion of the property for a specific purpose.

Word family

ease (verb): To make something less difficult or painful.

Collocations

utility easement
grant an easement
easement holder

Example sentences

"The utility company holds an easement allowing them to access the power lines running through our backyard." Property law dispute
"Before buying the property, we made sure the driveway easement was legally recorded in the county deed office." Real estate transaction

Memory hook

An 'easement' makes it 'easy' for your neighbor to cross your land to get to their house. Easement makes access easy.

When not to use

Do not use as a general term for 'comfort' or 'relief' in modern English, even though its etymology suggests it; it is strictly a property law term today.

Fun facts

One of the most common types of easement is the 'easement by prescription', which can be granted if a neighbor uses a path across your land openly and without your permission for a long period (often 20 years).