1. Plural of escheator; officers appointed to manage or take possession of property that reverts to the state when an owner dies without a will or legal heirs.
Usage: historical; legal; chiefly British

Examples

• In medieval England, escheators were responsible for identifying and seizing lands that had no rightful heirs.
• The escheators worked on behalf of the Crown to ensure that all escheat properties were properly documented.
• Local escheators had significant power in determining which estates would revert to royal ownership.
• The office of escheator was eventually abolished as property law became more standardized.