\Es*cheat"\, n. [OE. eschete, escheyte, an escheat, fr.
OF. escheit, escheoit, escheeite, esheoite, fr. escheoir (F.
['e]choir) to fall to, fall to the lot of; pref. es- (L. ex)
+ cheoir, F. choir, to fall, fr. L. cadere. See {Chance}, and
cf. {Cheat}.]
1. (Law)
   (a) (Feud. & Eng. Law) The falling back or reversion of
       lands, by some casualty or accident, to the lord of
       the fee, in consequence of the extinction of the blood
       of the tenant, which may happen by his dying without
       heirs, and formerly might happen by corruption of
       blood, that is, by reason of a felony or attainder.
       --Tomlins. --Blackstone.
   (b) (U. S. Law) The reverting of real property to the
       State, as original and ultimate proprietor, by reason
       of a failure of persons legally entitled to hold the
       same.
Note: A distinction is carefully made, by English writers,
      between escheat to the lord of the fee and forfeiture
      to the crown. But in this country, where the State
      holds the place of chief lord of the fee, and is
      entitled to take alike escheat and by forfeiture, this
      distinction is not essential. --Tomlins. Kent.
   (c) A writ, now abolished, to recover escheats from the
       person in possession. --Blackstone.
2. Lands which fall to the lord or the State by escheat.
3. That which falls to one; a reversion or return
         To make me great by others' loss is bad escheat.
                                               --Spenser.

\Es*cheat"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Esheated}; p. pr. &
vb. n. {Escheating}.] (Law)
To revert, or become forfeited, to the lord, the crown, or
the State, as lands by the failure of persons entitled to
hold the same, or by forfeiture.
Note: In this country it is the general rule that when the
      title to land fails by defect of heirs or devisees, it
      necessarily escheats to the State; but forfeiture of
      estate from crime is hardly known in this country, and
      corruption of blood is universally abolished. --Kent.
      --Bouvier.

\Es*cheat"\, v. t. (Law)
To forfeit. --Bp. Hall.