Plural of 'chose,' meaning things or personal possessions, especially as a legal term for movable property.
From Old French chose meaning 'thing,' derived from Latin causa meaning 'cause' or 'matter.' In English law, it became a technical term distinguishing movable goods from real property like land.
Old lawyers used to divide the world into two categories: 'choses in action' (things you can sue for) and 'choses in possession' (things you can actually hold)—basically their way of organizing reality through property types!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.