A legal right to use another person's land for a specific purpose, such as accessing a road or running utility lines, without owning that land.
From Old French 'aisement' meaning 'convenience' or 'accommodation,' derived from 'aise' (ease). The legal concept evolved from medieval English property law as communities needed ways to share land use without transferring ownership.
Easements are like legal ghosts that haunt property forever! They can make a million-dollar lot worthless if neighbors have the right to drive trucks through your backyard, and they typically 'run with the land'—meaning they transfer to every future owner.
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