impropriation
Definition
Noun: The act of transferring ecclesiastical property (such as church lands, tithes, or revenues) to lay (non-clerical) ownership or control, especially in the context of English church history where monastic lands were granted to private individuals or institutions.
Usage Examples
- (The transfer of church lands to lay owners.)
- (The process of lay appropriation of church income.)
Advanced Usage
- "Impropriation of benefices": The assignment of a church living (a benefice) to a lay person or corporation, who then receives its income but is not required to perform religious duties.
- The impropriation of benefices often led to absentee clergy and neglected parishes. (Lay control of church appointments.)
Variants and Related Words
- Impropriate (verb): To transfer ecclesiastical property to lay control.
- The king impropriated several monasteries to fund his military campaigns. (He transferred them to lay ownership.)
- Impropriator (noun): A person or institution that holds impropriated ecclesiastical property.
- The local lord became the impropriator of the parish tithes. (He became the lay owner of church revenues.)
Synonyms
- Secularization: The broader process of removing religious or ecclesiastical control over property or institutions.
- Alienation: The transfer of property ownership, especially to a different party.
Related Idioms
- "To fall into lay hands": To come under non-clerical ownership or control.
- After the Reformation, many church lands fell into lay hands. (They were acquired by private individuals.)
Phrasal Verbs
- (No common phrasal verbs are associated with "impropriation" as it is a formal, historical term.)