deodand noun2 •(historical) An object forfeited to the state (and supposedly to God) because it had caused the death of a person.Really, it’s hard not to wonder whether some current civil forfeiture practices represent much less than a revival of the archaic common-law deodand. — 2024 •(historical) A fine equal to the value of this object, paid by the owner of the object. formsdeodands
