Legal Definitions - life-hold

Definition: A type of land lease that lasts for the duration of one or more people's lives.

Example: A farmer leases a piece of land for his lifetime. When he dies, the lease ends and the land goes back to the owner.

This example illustrates how a life-hold lease works. The farmer only has the right to use the land for his lifetime, and when he dies, the lease ends. This type of lease was common in medieval times and was often used to provide for elderly or infirm people who could not work the land themselves.