The legal conception of property is of right.

Explanation

(English-origin maxim.) Property is a right, not merely a physical thing — the constitutional protection extends to the right itself, not just to the tangible object.

Where this applies

• A city tries to condemn a man's home and argues the property is just a thing, but the court holds that property is a constitutional right, not merely the physical land.
• The government freezes a bank account, and the account holder argues that her right to that money is a property right protected by due process, not just a claim to physical cash.
• A business owner challenges a regulation that wipes out the value of his inventory by arguing that property includes the right to use and profit from his goods, not just physical possession.