1. relating to or denoting land held in absolute ownership, free from feudal obligations or the rights of a superior landlord
Usage: archaic; legal/historical; also spelled allodial

Examples

• In medieval Europe, alodial land was rare because most property was held under feudal tenure.
• The king granted alodial rights to the monastery, freeing it from vassalage.
• Unlike feudal estates, alodial property could be freely bought and sold without the lord's consent.
• Some Germanic tribes practiced alodial ownership long before the feudal system emerged.
• The distinction between alodial and feudal land was crucial to understanding medieval property law.