Legal Definitions - enfeoff

Enfeoff (en-fef or en-feef) is a verb that means to legally transfer ownership of a freehold interest or fief to another person. It was formerly spelled as infeoff. Other terms for enfeoff include feoff, infeudate, and feoffare (in Law Latin).

1. The king enfeoffed his loyal knight with a large estate.

2. The lord enfeoffed his vassal with a small piece of land.

3. The baron enfeoffed his daughter with a castle and its surrounding lands.

These examples illustrate how enfeoffment was used in medieval times to transfer ownership of land from one person to another. The act of enfeoffment was often accompanied by a ceremony in which the new owner would swear an oath of loyalty to the person who granted them the land.