Definition of Abstract Of Title

A condensed history of the title to land, consisting of a synopsis or summary of the material or operative portion of all the conveyances, of whatever kind or nature, which in any manner affect said land or any estate or interest therein, together with a statement of all liens, charges or liabilities to which the same may be subject, and of which it is in any way material for purchasers to be apprised. Warv. Abst. § 2. Stevenson v. Polk, 71 Iowa, 278, 32 N. W. 340; Union Safe Deposit Co. v. Chisholm, 33 111. App. 647; Banker v. Caldwell, 3 Minn. 94 (Gil. 46); Heinsen v. Lamb, 117 111. 549, 7 N. E. 75; Smith v. Taylor, 82 Cal. 533, 23 Pac. 217. An abstract is a condensation, epitome, or synopsis, and therein differs from a copy or a transcript. Dickinson v. Chesapeake & O. R. Co.., 7 W. Va. 390, 413.