What Hebrew term names the sale of chametz to a non-Jew before Passover?

Mechirat chametz is the Hebrew term for selling chametz to a non-Jew before Passover.

The practice addresses the prohibition against owning chametz, meaning leavened food made from the grain species covered by Jewish law. Instead of destroying valuable products such as liquor, flour, or large food inventories, a Jewish owner transfers them to a non-Jew through a legally structured sale before the holiday begins.

In many communities, a rabbi acts as an agent. Household members authorize the rabbi to sell specified chametz, usually stored in a sealed cupboard or room. The non-Jew pays a deposit or otherwise enters a binding arrangement, and after Passover the goods are commonly repurchased. The chametz remains physically present, but it is no longer owned by the Jewish household during the prohibited period.

Mechirat chametz is often confused with bedikat chametz, the search for leaven, or bitul chametz, the declaration nullifying unseen leaven. Those are separate measures. Many households use both sale and physical removal, especially because the sale is intended for chametz that would be difficult or impractical to eliminate.