A person who receives property that is held in trust for them under Roman law; someone legally entitled to eventually receive an inheritance or trust property.
From Latin 'fideicommissarius' (trustee or beneficiary of a fideicommissum), from 'fideicommissum' (trust committed). Entered English legal vocabulary through medieval law codes.
The fideicommissary system was so clever that it let Roman families plan wealth transfer across multiple generations with incredible precision—centuries before modern trusts existed, families could say 'this goes to my son, then to his daughter, then to her sons.'
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