Perpetuity
Dictionary of Terms and Phrases Used in American or English Jurisprudence · Benjamin Vaughan Abbott · 1879
Dictionary of Terms and Phrases Used in American or English Jurisprudence
Has a technical signification, is applied to attempts to invest money or restrict the alienation of land in such way as for ever to retain it for the benefit or in the enjoyment of the persons of a particular line of descent. Attempts to create perpetuities are disapproved and vigorously restricted by English laws and by the laws of most of the states.