ODAL

Etymology

Noun

odal (plural odals)

(legal, historical) Among the early and medieval Teutonic peoples, especially Scandinavians, the heritable land held by the various odalmen constituting a family or kindred of freeborn tribesmen.

The ownership of such land.

Usage notes

The odal was subject only to certain rights of the family or kindred in restricting the freedom of transfer or sale and giving certain rights of redemption in case of change of ownership by inheritance, etc, and perhaps to other rights of the kindred or the tribe. Survivals of the early odal estates and tenure exist in Orkney and Shetland, where it is usually called by the variant form udal.

Adjective

odal (not comparable)

Of or relating to odal land.

Anagrams

• -load, Aldo, alod, load

Source: Wiktionary


O"dal, n. [Cf. Icel. eal, Dan. odel allodial, Sw. odal.] (Law)

Definition: Among the early and medieval Teutonic peoples, esp. Scandinavians, the heritable land held by the various odalmen constituting a family or kindred of freeborn tribesmen; also, the ownership of such land. The odal was subject only to certain rights of the family or kindred in restricting the freedom of transfer or sale and giving certain rights of redemption in case of change of ownership by inheritance, etc., and perhaps to other rights of the kindred or the tribe. Survivals of the early odal estates and tenure exist in Orkney and Shetland, where it is usually called by the variant form udal.

O"dal, a. (Law)

Definition: Noting, or pert. to, odal land or ownership.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

29 May 2025

CRITICAL

(adjective) characterized by careful evaluation and judgment; ā€œa critical readingā€; ā€œa critical dissertationā€; ā€œa critical analysis of Melville’s writingsā€


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest coffee press is 230 cm (7 ft 6 in) in height and 72 cm (2 ft 4 in) in diameter and was created by Salzillo Tea and Coffee (Spain) in Murcia, Spain, in February 2007. The cafetiĆØre consists of a stainless steel container, a filtering piston, and a superior lid.

coffee icon