Land comprehends every ground, soil, or earth whatsoever — meadows, pastures, woods, moors, waters, and marshes.

Explanation

"Land" in law is the broadest term — it encompasses not merely dry soil but every type of ground and the water that covers it.

Where this applies

• A landowner argues that the marshy portion of his property is not 'land' and therefore exempt from property taxes — the court holds that land comprehends every type of ground, including marshes, and the tax applies.
• A developer claims that a submerged portion of his parcel covered by a seasonal creek is not part of the deeded land — under this maxim, the waters and the ground beneath them are comprehended within the legal meaning of land.
• A farmer disputes whether his wooded hillside and boggy meadow are included in a neighboring landowner's boundary claim — the law defines land to include woods, pastures, moors, and every type of ground, so all of it counts.

See also

• 5.2.2 Whose is the soil, his it is even to the sky above and to the depths below.
• 5.2.7 Water follows the land.