Etymology: chose (II)
1. : any right to a personal as opposed to a real thing that is not in one's possession or actual enjoyment but is recoverable by suit at law ; especially : any right to an act or forbearance (as in case of debts, stocks, shares, and negotiable instruments or claim of reparation for a tort)
2. : the thing (as a bond or note) that is the subject of chose in action — compare chose in possession