Lat. By the head. Tenure in capite was an ancient feudal tenure, whereby a man held lands of the king immedtate-ly. It was of two sorts,—the one, principal and general, or of the king as the source of all tenure; the other, special and subaltern, or of a particular subject. It is now abolish-ed. Jacob. As to distribution per capita, see Capita
Source: Black's Law Dictionary 2nd Ed (1910)
