noun / verb
deed
A legal document transferring ownership of property.
The seller signs the deed to transfer ownership of the house.
Etymology
Old English dǣd meant an act or action. A legal deed records and gives effect to a formal act, so the action’s name became the document’s name.
More examples
- Our lawyer reviews the deed before we buy the land.
- They deed the farm to their daughter.
- The county keeps copies of recorded deeds.
Forms
deed · deeds · deeded · deeding
Similar words
- conveyance
- Can mean the legal transfer itself or its document.
- title
- Refers to ownership rights, not necessarily a transfer document.