Alienability

/ˌeɪliənəˈbɪləti/ noun

Definition

The quality or state of being able to be transferred or given to another person, especially regarding property or rights.

Etymology

From alienable (able to be transferred) + -ity (a suffix forming nouns of quality or state). The root alienable comes from Latin alienare (to make another's), from alienus (belonging to another). The -ity suffix dates to Old French and Latin.

Kelly Says

In law, alienability is crucial—some things like citizenship or bodily organs are specifically deemed non-alienable to protect human dignity, while land and goods are alienable to enable commerce and trade.

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