life estate pur autre vie

English

Etymology

From life estate + Old French pur ("for"), autre ("another"), vie ("life").

Noun

life estate pur autre vie (plural life estates pur autre vie)

1. (law) An estate in land which is given by a grantor to a party only for the duration of the life of a third party, and for which ownership will revert to another upon the death of that third party.

   Joe gives property "to Mike for the life of Bob"; Joe has created a life estate pur autre vie for Mike, but when Bob dies, the property automatically reverts to Joe.

Usage notes

Often written with the French portion italicized: life estate pur autre vie.