Propertee

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who receives property, such as a recipient of a gift, transfer, or conveyance of goods or land
2. The one to whom ownership of land, goods, or other assets is transferred by a grant or legal instrument
3. Someone who is granted or handed property by another party, becoming its new holder under the transfer

Etymology: Most people meet "propertee" only in legal textbooks, where it names the person who receives property, as opposed to the "proprietor" who gives it. It is formed by adding the suffix "-ee" to "property," and that suffix is the key to its meaning. The "-ee" ending, borrowed from French through Anglo-Norman, marks the person who is the object or recipient of an action, as in "employee," "trustee," and "grantee." A "propertee" is therefore the one to whom property is transferred. The word is a technical coinage rather than an ancient term. Its use is largely confined to property and conveyancing law, where it serves as a precise counterpart to a grantor.