Roman Law. [a. OF. usucaption, -cion, or med.L. ūsūcaptiōn-, ad. L. ūsū-capiōn- USUCAPION.] = USUCAPION.
1656. Blount, Usucaption (usucaptio), prescription or long possession or the attaining a thing thereby.
1728. Chambers, Cycl., s.v., Some make a Difference between Prescription and Usucaption, maintaining that the latter is only used with regard to Moveables, and the former with regard to Immoveables.
1760. trans. Vattels Law of Nations, II. xi. 166. Usucaption is the acquisition of domain founded on a long possession, uninterrupted and undisputed.
1826. G. Spence, Orig. Laws Mod. Europe, p. xvii. Modes of acquiring property or ownership in individual things: or usucaption and prescription.
1853. Whewell, Grotius, I. 276. The right of usucaption, by which a thing long used becomes the property of the possessor.
1874. Motley, Barneveld, I. 283. Rather by usucaption than usurpation, Holland had come to consider herself the Republic itself.
attrib. 1871. Poste, Gaius, IV. 501. Possession, which we will call usucaption-possession.