Question

Bona vacantia means:

• A. Goods that have no owner
• B. Vacant building
• C. Vacant land
• D. Order of the court for eviction

Hint:

When you see “vacantia” in Latin, think “vacant” — in legal terms, it usually refers to property without an owner.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

The term “Bona vacantia” is from Latin, where “bona” means “goods” or “property” and “vacantia” means “vacant” or “unclaimed”.
Together, the phrase literally translates to “ownerless goods” or “property without an owner”.
In legal systems, particularly in property law, “bona vacantia” refers to assets that do not have a legal owner, such as the estate of a person who dies without heirs or property abandoned by its owner.
Under many jurisdictions, such property reverts to the state or Crown.
Option (b) “Vacant building” is a specific type of unoccupied property, but “bona vacantia” covers all types of ownerless assets, not just buildings.
Option (c) “Vacant land” similarly refers to one form of property and does not reflect the broader legal meaning.
Option (d) “Order of the court for eviction” refers to a judicial process, unrelated to the ownership status of property.
Hence, the precise meaning is “Goods that have no owner”.