Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
jump a claim. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
jump a claim, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
jump a claim in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
jump a claim you have here. The definition of the word
jump a claim will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
jump a claim, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Pronunciation
Verb
jump a claim (third-person singular simple present jumps a claim, present participle jumping a claim, simple past and past participle jumped a claim)
- (historical, Australia, Western US) To enter upon and take possession of land to which another has acquired a claim by prior entry and occupation.
1853, Leon Faucher, chapter IV, in Thomson Hankey, transl., Remarks on the Production of the Precious Metals, and on the Demonetization of Gold in Several Countries in Europe, 2nd revised edition, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., →OCLC, page 50:Anarchy still reigns in this new country;—not only have the miners to defend their persons and their acquisitions against the incursions from Indian tribes; not only are crimes and offences common (lynch law maintaining a permitted existence instead of laws and police); but every one appears to hold his property by right of first comer: a miner choses the spot he likes best; a strong arm and a carbine, with a steady eye, are his title deeds. To seize upon a rich "placer" from a miner too weak to resist, is called in the slang of the district, to "jump a claim." The President of the United States himself, stated in his last message, that "The mineral lands should remain free to every citizen;" and the Secretary of State has added, "that the right of occupancy should be submitted only to such laws as the miners themselves thought fit to make."
Related terms
Further reading