deodand
/ˈdiːoʊdænd/
noun
- In historical English law, an object that caused a person's death and was therefore forfeited to the crown to be used for charity.
- The concept of a deodand meant that even a horse could be forfeited if it caused a fatal accident.
- In medieval England, a cart that ran over a person could be declared a deodand and taken by the king.
- Historians study deodands to understand how communities dealt with accidental deaths before modern insurance.