Chattel is a legal word for a piece of personal property you can move from place to place — a chair, a tool, a necklace — as opposed to land and buildings, which stay put. Lawyers still say goods and chattels for movable things you own.

Chattelchattel這個字 is a legal word for a piece of personal property是法律用語,指一件個人財產 you can move from place to place可以搬來搬去的 — a chair, a tool, a necklace像椅子、工具、項鍊 — as opposed to land and buildings相對於土地和建築物, which stay put那些是固定不動的。 Lawyers律師 still say還是會說 goods and chattelsgoods and chattels(動產與財貨) for movable things you own來指稱你擁有的可移動物品。

In ordinary talk almost nobody calls a phone “a chattel”; they say my things or my stuff. The word feels old and courtroom-like.

In ordinary talk在日常對話裡 almost nobody calls a phone “a chattel”幾乎沒有人會把手機稱作「a chattel」; they say他們會說 my things or my stuffmy things或my stuff(我的東西)。 The word這個字 feels old and courtroom-like聽起來老派,又像法庭用語。

History uses it in a dark way: chattel slavery meant treating a person as movable property, as if they were a thing you could buy and sell. That is the sense many students meet in history class, not in a shop.

History uses it in a dark way歷史上這個字有個黑暗的用法: chattel slaverychattel slavery(動產式奴隸制) meant treating a person as movable property意思是把一個人當成可移動的財產對待, as if they were a thing you could buy and sell彷彿他們是可以買賣的東西。 That is the sense這是這個字的意思 many students meet in history class很多學生是在歷史課上遇到的, not in a shop而不是在店裡。

Though actually, chattel and cattle are old sister words: both grew from a word for property, and cattle later narrowed to cows. English once used animals as a way to talk about wealth. Capital, in the money sense, sits on the same “head / principal property” line.

Though actually不過其實, chattel and cattle are old sister wordschattel和cattle是古老的姊妹詞: both grew from a word for property兩者都源自一個表示「財產」的詞, and cattle later narrowed to cows而cattle後來詞義縮小成專指牛。 English once used animals英文曾經用動物 as a way to talk about wealth來表達財富的概念。 Capital, in the money sense金錢意義上的capital(資本), sits on the same “head / principal property” line也跟同一條「頭/主要財產」的字源線有關。