Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.
abatable | capable of being abated; as, an abatable writ or nuisance. |
abrogate | to repeal (a law, custom, etc.); to abolish authoritatively or formally. |
abrogation | the act of abrogating, formally annulling. |
abrogative | relating to annulment. |
absolvitor | in Scots law, a judgment favourable to a defender. |
accusable | liable to be accused; chargeable with a crime or fault. |
accusal | an accusation. |
accusation | the act of accusing. |
accusatorial | denoting a judicial procedure in which the judge is not the same person as the prosecutor. |
accusatory | containing or expressing ACCUSATION. |
accusement | an accusation. |
acquit | to free or clear from a charge of fault or crime. |
addeem addoom | to adjudge, award. |
adduce | to cite as proof or instance. |
adjudicate | to settle judicially. |
adminicle | that which supports or aids, especially evidence. |
advocacy | the act of advocating. |
affeer | to assess; to reduce to a certain fixed sum. |
afforce | to strengthen a jury by adding skilled people. |
afforcement | the act of AFFORCING, strengthening a jury by adding skilled people. |
alibi | to give an alibi to > ALIBIS or ALIBIES, ALIBIING, ALIBIED. |
alienage | the state or legal condition of being an alien. |
aliunde | from another source; from elsewhere; as, a case proved aliunde; evidence aliunde. |
antitrust | of legislation etc., directed against the adverse effect of trusts and other monopolies on commerce. |
appeach | to accuse, impeach. |
appealable | capable of being appealed against; that may be removed to a higher tribunal for decision; as, the cause is appealable. |
appellate | pertaining to, or taking cognizance of, (legal) appeals. |
apprise apprize | in Scots law, to put a selling price on. |
apprising apprizing | the sheriff's sentence directing property to be apprized. |
arbitrage | to subject to judgment by an arbiter. |
arbitral | of or relating to an arbiter or an arbitration. |
arbitrium | a power of decision > ARBITRIUMS. |
arraign | to call before a court of law to answer an indictment. |
arrestation | the act of arresting. |
arret | a decision; the judgment of a tribunal. |
article | (verb) to charge with specific offenses. |
assize | a legislative session, dealing e.g. with weights, measures, and prices; (verb, obs.) to assess, to fix the quantity of. |
assoilzie | to absolve, to clear a defendant of a charge > ASSOILZIES, ASSOILZIEING, ASSOILZIED. |
assythment | in Scots law, indemnification for injury; satisfaction. |
attentat | an (esp unsuccessful) attempt at an (esp political) crime of violence. |
autoptic | based on personal observation, as autoptic testimony. |
avisandum avizandum | a private consideration of a case by a judge. |
bailiwick | the region in which a sheriff (BAILIE) has legal powers. |
bailliage | the jurisdiction of a BAILLI. |
banns | notice given in church etc. of an intended marriage, read on three Sundays to give an opportunity for objections to be made. N.B. no BANN*. |
barrat | deceit, strife. |
bertillonage | a system of criminal identification by detailed measurements, worked out by Alphonse Bertillon (1853-1914), a Paris police officer. |
billable | that can be billed, e.g. of a lawyer's hours. |
bipartite | being in two parts e.g. of a document > BIPARTITELY. |
bona | goods. No —S. |
bote | compensation for injury or damage to property. |
bountied | with a BOUNTY on one's head. |
caselaw | a law established by previous cases. |
cassation | annulment; in French law, the quashing of a decision of a court. |
causa | a (legal) cause > CAUSAE. |
cautionry | in Scots law, the act of giving security for another. |
chargesheet | a police document listing details of an accused person and the charges against him or her. |
circumduce | to declare elapsed, as the time allowed for introducing evidence. |
citable citeable | able to be cited. |
citatory | having the power or form of a citation; as, letters citatory. |
clergiable clergyable | entitled to, or admitting, the benefit of clergy; as, a clergyable felony. |
coattest | to attest together with. |
cognosce | to examine; to give judgment on. |
comitial | relating to the COMITIA, or popular assemblies of the Romans for electing officers and passing laws. |
committal | the act of committing e.g. to trial. |
compulsitor | in Scots law, a means of compelling. |
compurgation | the exoneration of an accused person on the basis of oaths sworn by other persons. |
compurgatorial | relating to COMPURGATION, the clearing of an accused person by means of oaths. |
compurgatory | relating to COMPURGATION, the clearing of an accused person by means of oaths. |
convict | to prove guilty. |
conviction | the act of convicting of a crime especially in a court of law. |
corsned | a medieval trial in which the accused had to swallow consecrated bread. |
countersue | to sue someone who is suing one. |
countersuit | a suit in retaliation. |
crossclaim | a claim made by a defendant against a plaintiff. |
custody | the codition of being held by the police. |
damageable | capable of being damaged; as, a damageable cargo. |
defeasance | a condition which, if fulfilled, renders an agreement or instrument null and void; a document setting out such a condition. |
defeasanced | liable to be forfeited. |
defeasible | that may be annulled. |
deforce | to keep out of possession by force. |
deforcement | the act of DEFORCING. |
deforciation | a legal distress. |
delate | to report (an offense), denounce, or accuse. |
delation | the action of informing against someone; (an) accusation. |
depone | to state, declare, or testify on oath in court; to depose. |
dijudicate | to judge, to decide. |
diriment | that renders absolutely void; nullifying; diriment impediment: making a marriage null and void from the first. No —S. |
disapply | to render (a law) inapplicable. |
disbar | to expel from the bar, or the legal profession. |
disclaimer | a denial or disavowal of legal claim. |
discovert | of a woman: without a husband, not covert. |
dispauper | to deprive of the claim of a pauper to public support. |
distraint | seizure of goods. |
dittay | (Scots) an indictment, a charge. |
dowable | capable of being endowed; entitled to dower. |
duply | a second reply in Scots law; (verb) to say in duply. |
eigne | first born. [Fr. aine]. |
emendals | funds set apart for repairs, in the accounts of the Inner Temple. N.B. no EMENDAL*. |
empanel impanel impannel | to form a list of jurors; a panel. |
empanelment | the act of EMPANELLING. |
enaction | the passing of a bill into law. |
enactive | having power to enact or establish as a law. |
enactment | the passing of a bill into law. |
enactory | pertaining to the enactment of law. |
essoin essoyne | the giving of an excuse for not appearing in court. |
essoin | to excuse (someone) for not appearing in court. |
estop | to impede or bar by ESTOPPEL, a bar to alleging or denying a fact because of one's own previous contrary actions or words. |
estoppage | the condition of being barred by ESTOPPEL. |
estoppel | a bar to alleging or denying a fact because of one's own previous contrary actions or words. |
estray | a beast found within a manor or lordship, wandering from its owner; (verb) to stray. |
estreat | to consult court records in order to enable prosecution. |
evidence | to act as evidence. |
evident | clear > EVIDENTLY; (noun) that which serves as evidence > EVIDENTS. |
excamb | in Scots law, to exchange. |
exculpatory | tending or serving to clear from alleged fault or guilt. |
executory | pertaining to administration, or putting the laws in force; executive. |
extradite | to deliver up by one government to another, as a fugitive from justice. |
extralegal | outside the law. |
extrality | the privilege of being outside the jurisdiction of the country one is in. |
eyre | a journey in circuit of certain judges called justices in eyre. |
factum | a man's own act and deed > FACTUMS or FACTA. |
fasces | a bundle of rods with an axe used to symbolise authority. |
fascial | pertaining to the FASCES. |
fascis | a bundle of rods with an axe used to symbolise authority > FASCES. |
fiducial | of the nature of trust > FIDUCIALLY. |
fiqh | Islamic jurisprudence, an expansion of the Sharia Islamic law. |
fixture | that which is fixed or attached to something as a permanent appendage. |
frithborh | a surety for keeping the peace, aka FRANKPLEDGE. |
frithsoken | sanctuary or asylum. |
frogmarch | to carry an uncooperative drunkard or prisoner. |
fungible | (things that are) mutually interchangeable > FUNGIBLES. |
furthcoming | an action brought by an arrester against the arrestee and the common debtor after an arrestment in order that the arrested money or property be delivered to the arrester. |
gravamen | the essence or the most serious part of an accusation > GRAVAMENS or GRAVAMINA. [L. gravare, to burden and ultimately from L. gravis, heavy]. |
grith | sanctuary, asylum. |
guaranty | to guarantee. |
guiltiness | the state of being GUILTY. |
guilty | worthy of blame for an offense > GUILTIER, GUILTIEST; GUILTILY. |
haro | in Channel Islands, a cry announcing legal redress > HAROS. |
heteronomous | subject to different or foreign laws. |
heteronomy | subordination or subjection to the law of another, as opposed to AUTONOMY. |
holdership | the state of being a HOLDER e.g. of a bill. |
identikit | a reconstructed picture of a person (esp. a suspect sought by police) assembled from features described by a witness or witnesses. |
impanel | see EMPANEL. |
impannel | see EMPANEL. |
impeach | to make an accusation against (a person); accuse of, charge. |
impeachment | the act of impeaching. |
implead | to institute and prosecute a suit against, in court > IMPLEADS, IMPLEADING, IMPLEADED or IMPLED. |
improbation | an action for the purpose of declaring some instrument false or forged. |
inbring | to bring in to court > INBRINGS, INBRINGING, INBROUGHT. |
indagate | to search out. |
indict | to charge with a crime. |
indictable | that can be indicted > INDICTABLY. |
indictment | the action or the legal process of indicting. |
induciae | in Scots law, the time limit within which (after a citation) the defendant must appear in court or reply. N.B. no INDUCIA*. |
injudicial | not judicial. |
inquirendo | the authority to inquire into something e.g. for the benefit of the Crown > INQUIRENDOS. |
intendment | the true meaning or intention of something, esp a law. |
interess interesse | an interest; (verb) to interest. |
interplead | to plead against each other, or go to trial between themselves, as the claimants in an interpleader. |
irritancy | the state of being null and void. |
ish | issue or expiry. |
jeofail | an omission or oversight in a law proceeding. |
jerque | to search a vessel for smuggled goods. |
joinder | a legal uniting or joining. |
judicable | capable of being judged; capable of being tried or decided upon. |
judicative | having power to judge; as, the judicative faculty. |
judicatory | pertaining to the administration of justice; dispensing justice. |
judicature | the power of dispensing justice by trial. |
judicial | relating to the process of law > JUDICIALLY. |
juratory | pertaining to an oath. |
juridic juridical | relating to the administration of justice; pertaining to a judge > JURIDICALLY. |
juryless | without a JURY. |
justiciable | liable to trial. |
lagan lagend ligan | cargo jettisoned from ship but marked by buoys for recovery. |
latent | hidden > LATENTLY; (noun) a barely visible fingerprint that can be developed for study. |
law | low > LAWER, LAWEST; (obs.) to take to court. |
lawful | allowed by law (the body of rules governing the affairs of a community) > LAWFULLY. |
lawfulness | the state of being LAWFUL. |
lawgiving | the giving of law. |
lawless | having no system of laws. |
lawlessness | the state of being LAWLESS. |
lawlike | being like the law. |
lawmaking | the process of making law. |
lawsuit | a legal action. |
legalise legalize | to make legal. |
legalism | belief that salvation depends on strict adherence to the law. |
legalistic | inclined to LEGALISM. |
legality | the condition of being lawful. |
legalize | see LEGALISE. |
legislate | to make laws; to pass law in the form of an Act of Parliament or by delegated legislation. |
legitimist | a person who believes in the right of royal succession according to the principle of heredity and primogeniture. |
lenocinium | in Scots law, connivance at one's wife's adultery > LENOCINIUMS. |
leviable | fit to be levied; capable of being assessed and collected; as, sums leviable by course of law. |
lex | law > LEXES or LEGES. |
ligan | see LAGAN. |
litigable | such as can be litigated. |
litigate | to have recourse to LITIGATION. |
litigation | legal dispute esp. by means of a lawsuit. |
mainprise | surety for the appearance of a prisoner at trial; (verb) to allow a prisoner to go free based on a guarantee that he or she will appear in court on the designated day > MAINPRISING, MAINPRISED. |
miniment muniment | a means of defence; a record fortifying or proving a claim. |
mirandise mirandize | in USA, to inform an accused person of their rights. |
misdeem | to misjudge > MISDEEMS, MISDEEMING, MISDEEMED or (Spenser) MISDEMPT. |
mise | the issue in a writ of right. |
misjoinder | an incorrect union of parties or of causes of action in a procedure, criminal or civil. |
misnomer | the use of a wrong name or designation esp. the misnaming of a person in a legal instrument; (verb) to use a misnomer. |
monition | a caution; a warning, especially legal. |
moratorium | a legal authorization to a debtor to postpone payment for a certain time; the period of such a postponement > MORATORIA or MORATORIUMS. |
moulage | an impression made for use as evidence in a criminal investigation. |
movant | a person who applies to a court for a favorable ruling. |
naam nam | the action of taking another's goods by distraint; goods so taken. |
neckverse | the test of ability to read for those who claimed benefit of clergy, usu. Psalm 51.1. |
nimious | overmuch, excessive; inordinate (now chiefly as a Sc. legal term). |
nisi | taking effect at a specified date unless cause is shown otherwise. No —S. |
nolo | a type of legal plea > NOLOS. |
nomistic | based on law or a sacred book. |
nomologic | related to NOMOLOGY, the science of the laws; especially of the mind. |
nomology | the science of the laws; especially of the mind. |
nomothetic | legislative; based on law. |
nomothetical | giving laws; legislative. |
nonage | legal infancy; minority. |
nonaged | having the quality of NONAGE; being a minor. |
nonevidence | something that is not EVIDENCE. |
nonguilt | the state of not being guilty. |
nonjoinder | the omission of some person who ought to have been made a plaintiff or defendant in a suit, or of some cause of action which ought to be joined. |
nonjury | not judged by a jury > NONJURIES. |
nonlegal | not legal. |
nonpros | to enter a judgment against a plaintiff who fails to prosecute > NONPROSSES, NONPROSSING, NONPROSSED. |
nonsuit | the stopping of a suit by voluntary withdrawal of the plaintiff, or by the judge when the plaintiff has failed to make out cause of action or to bring evidence; (verb) to execute a nonsuit. |
nontenured | not having TENURE. |
notarise notarize | to attest to, authenticate. |
notour | in Scots law, notorious. |
oathable | capable of taking an oath. |
objuration | the act of binding by oath; a solemn charge. |
objure | to bind by oath; to entreat solemnly. |
obligee | the person to whom another is bound, or the person to whom a bond is given. |
obtemper obtemperate | to obey (a judgment or decree. |
officiality officialty | the charge, office, court, or jurisdiction of an official. |
oyer | a hearing in a lawcourt, an assize. |
parol | given by word of mouth, as in parol evidence; (noun) a parole. |
parolable | subject to parole. |
parole | to release from prison before completion of the imposed sentence. |
placitory | of or pertaining to pleas or pleading, in courts of law. |
plea | to dispute in a law-court > PLEAS, PLEAING, PLEAED. |
pleadable | capable of being pleaded. |
preaudience | the right to be heard before another; precedence at the bar among lawyers. |
predication | an act or instance of predicating. |
prelegal | occurring before the commencement of studies in law. |
prepense | premeditate > PREPENSELY. |
prescriptive | serving to prescribe; (law) acquired through uninterrupted possession > PRESCRIPTIVELY. |
presentence | to sentence in advance. |
presentment | a jury's statement to a court of matters within its knowledge. |
pretrial | a preliminary trial. |
probation | the act of proving; also, that which proves anything; proof. |
probative | testing, affording proof > PROBATIVELY. |
prochain prochein | next, as in prochein ami, a legal term. |
proofless | wanting sufficient evidence to induce belief; not proved. |
prosecute | to pursue by law. |
provisory | of the nature of a proviso; containing a proviso or condition > PROVISORILY. |
quadruply | in Scots law, a reply to a TRIPLY. |
quintuply | in Scots law, a reply made to a defendant's quadruply. |
quash | to set aside or annul. |
rancel ransel ranzel | a search for stolen goods. |
reargument | an arguing over again, as of a motion made in court. |
recaption | taking back by peaceable means goods, children, etc from someone who has no right to detain them. |
recusal | a disqualification of oneself as a judge. |
recuse | to refuse or reject, as a judge; to challenge that the judge shall not try the cause. |
rehear | to hear again; to try a second time; as, to rehear a case in Chancery |
reindict | to indict again. |
rejoinder | a sharp and clever answer; in law, the defendant's answer to the plaintiff's reply/replication. |
rejudge | to judge again; to reexamine. |
remandment | the act of remanding. |
remise | to surrender a claim. |
replead | to plead again > REPLEADS, REPLEADING, REPLEADED or REPLED. |
repleader | a second pleading, or course of pleadings; also, the right of pleading again. |
replevin replevy | to recover, or restore to the owner (goods distrained) upon pledge to try the right in legal proceedings. |
reprobator | in Scots law, an action to prove a witness perjured or biased. |
rescission | the act of rescinding. |
resentence | to sentence again. |
retestify | to testify again. |
retrial | a second trial. |
retry | to try (esp. judicially) a second time. |
revendication | the action of claiming back or recovering something by a formal claim. |
revivor | the revival of a suit which was abated by the death of a party or other cause. |
ruleless | destitute of rule; lawless. |
seise | an old spelling of SEIZE, still used legally in sense of to put in possession of property. |
sentence | to declare judicially the extent of punishment to be imposed. |
sentencing | the act of declaring judicially the extent of punishment to be imposed. |
sequester | to set apart; to seize by authority of a writ. |
setoff | the settlement of a debt by a debtor making a counterclaim against his creditor. |
sextuply | in Scots law, to offer a rejoinder. |
sist | to stay, as judicial proceedings; to delay or suspend. |
solatium | a compensation (as money) given as solace for suffering, loss, or injured feelings > SOLATIA. |
sponsion | the act of becoming surety for another. |
stakeout | an ambush, esp. by the police of criminals. |
suability | liability to be sued; the state of being subjected by law to civil process. |
suable sueable | that may be sued > SUABLY. |
subrogate | to substitute for another with regard to a legal right or claim. |
subrogation | the act of SUBROGATING. |
sue | to prosecute at law. |
sueability | the ability to be sued. |
sueable | see SUABLE. |
summons | to issue with a summons. |
sumptuary | relating to or regulating expense; relating to the control or moderation of extravagance. |
supersedere | a private agreement among creditors, under a trust-law, to supersede or sist diligence for a certain period. |
suretyship | the state of being surety. |
surrebut | to reply, as a plaintiff to a defendant's rebutter. |
surrebuttal | a plaintiff's evidence or presentation of evidence, in response to a defendant's rebuttal. |
surrebutter | in law, a plaintiff's reply to defendant's rebutter. |
surrejoin | to reply, as a plaintiff to a defendant's rejoinder. |
surrejoinder | a law plaintiff's reply to defendant's rejoinder. |
surrogation | surrogation. |
sus | a suspect > SUSES; (verb) to arrest for suspicious behaviour > SUSSES, SUSING or SUSSING, SUSED or SUSSED. |
suss | to arrest for suspicious behaviour. |
terminer | a determining; as, in OYER and TERMINER. |
testation | a witnessing or witness. |
teste | on the authority or testimony of (a specified person). [Ablative of L. testis, witness]. |
testify | to make a declaration of truth under oath. |
testimony | evidence; (verb, Shakesp.) to testify. |
triable | fit or possible to be tried; liable to be subjected to trial or test. |
triply | in Scots law, to reply to a DUPLY. |
ultion | revenge; vengeance. |
undersign | to write one's name at the foot or end of, as a letter or any legal instrument. |
unlaw | to deprive of the authority or character of law. |
unproved unproven | not proved. |
unpurged | not purged, e.g. of crimes. |
vacatur | the act of annulling in law. |
vag | to arrest someone for vagrancy |
vardy | opinion, verdict. |
verbal | in words > VERBALLY; (noun) an oral statement made to the police; (verb) to take such a statement > VERBALS, VERBALLING, VERBALLED. |
verdict | the decision of a jury at the end of a legal proceeding. |
verdit | verdict. |
vitious | vicious in the specific legal sense of impaired, nullified by a flaw. |
volens | consenting to the risk of injury. |