1. Plural of copyhold; a form of land tenure in medieval and early modern England in which a tenant held land at the will of the lord of the manor, with rights recorded in the manor court roll.
Usage: historical; chiefly British; archaic
2. Plural of copyhold; the lands or properties held under copyhold tenure.
Usage: historical; chiefly British; archaic

Examples

• The peasants worked on copyholds that had been in their families for generations.
• Many English villages were organized around copyholds held from the local manor.
• The copyhold system gradually declined as freeholds became more common.
• Disputes over copyholds were settled in the manor court.
• By the 19th century, most copyholds had been converted to freeholds.