In Anglo-American law, ownership of a substantial interest in real property (see real and personal property) held for an indefinite period. The term originally designated the owner of an estate held in free tenure, who possessed, under the Magna Carta, the rights of a free man. Today a freehold is distinguished from a leasehold, a contract to hold real property for a specified period. Seealso copyhold, fee, landlord and tenant.
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