mancipation
mancipation (man-si-pay-sh[schwa]n), n. [fr. Latin mancipatio “hand-grasp”] 1. Roman law. A legal formality for transferring property by either an actual or a simulated purchase; a formal conveyance in the guise of a sale. • The formality required the presence of the thing being conveyed (res mancipi), and of five adult male citizens acting as witnesses. […]