Law Definition, Prefix, Suffix, Ologies and Isms, Law Information and Meaning
See also CRIME; GOVERNMENT
- allograph
- a signature of a proxy, one who is not party to the transaction at hand. —allographic, adj.
- angary
- the right of a nation at war to destroy the property of a neutral, subject to indemnification.
- anomie, anomy, anomia
- a state or condition of individuals or society characterized by an absence or breakdown of social and legal norms and values, as in the case of an uprooted people. —anomic, adj.
- antinomia, antinomy
- a real or apparent contradiction in a statute. —antinomic, antinomian, adj.
- antinomianism
- the theological doctrine maintaining that Christians are freed from both moral and civil law by God’s gift of grace. —antinomian, antinomist, n.
- asseveration
- the solemn affirmation of the truth of a statement. —asseverator, n. —asseverative, adj.
- avowtry
- the crime of adultery.
- barratry
- the offense of frequently exciting or stirring up suits and quarrels between others. —barrator, n. —barratrous, adj.
- battery
- an intentional act that, directly or indirectly, causes harmful contact with another’s person.
- caveat
- a legal notice to beware; a notice placed on file until the caveator can be heard. —caveator, n. —caveatee, n.
- civilist
- a person who studies civil law.
- compurgation
- formerly, in common law, acquittal on the basis of endorsement by the friends or neighbors of the accused. Also called trial by wager of law. —compurgator, n. —compurgatory, adj.
- compurgator
- one who testifies to the innocence of an accused person.
- constructionist
- a person who puts a particular interpretation on provisions of the U.S. Constitution, especially those provisions dealing with the rights of individuals and states.
- coverture
- the status of a married woman.
- criminalism
- an act or action having the character of a crime. Also criminality. —criminal, n., adj.
- culpability
- 1. the condition of blameworthiness, criminality, censurability.
- 2. Obsolete, guilt. —culpable, adj.
- delinquency
- a condition of guilt; failure to do that which the law or other obligation requires. See also FINANCE. —delinquent, adj.
- dicealolgy
- Obsolete, a delineation of jurisdiction.
- dikephobia
- an abnormal fear or dislike of justice.
- disherison
- Archaic. 1. the act of disinheriting.
- 2. the condition of being disinherited.
- Draconianism
- any unreasonable harshness or severity in laws. —Draconian, Draconic, adj.
- easement
- the right one landowner has been granted over the land of another, as the right of access to water, right of way, etc., at no charge.
- feudist
- 1. a specialist in law relating to the feudal system.
- 2. a person who holds or Iets land under the provisions of the feudal system.
- fiduciary
- a person to whom property or power is entrusted for the benefit of another. —fiducial, fiduciary, adj.
- jurisprudence
- 1. law as a science or philosophy.
- 2. a system of laws or a particular branch of law. —jurisprudent, adj.
- Justinianist
- an expert on the codification and revision of Roman laws ordered by the 6th-century Byzantine emperor Justinian. —Justinian code, n.
- legalese
- language typical of lawyers, laws, legal forms, etc., characterized by archaic usage, prolixity, redundancy and extreme thoroughness.
- legalism
- a strict and usually literal adherence to the law. —legalistic, adj.
- legist
- a person who is skilled or well versed in law.
- litigiomania
- a compulsion for involving oneself in legal disputes.
- nomism
- the practice of religious legalism, especially the basing of standards of good actions upon the moral law.
- nomocracy
- a system of government based on a legal code.
- nomography
- 1. the art of drafting laws.
- 2. a treatise on the drawing up of laws. —nomographer, n. — nomographic, adj.
- nomology
- the science of law. —nomologist, n. —nomological, adj.
- nonage
- the state of being under the age required by law to enter into certain responsibilities or obligations, as marrying, entering into contracts, etc. See also CHURCH; PROPERTY and OWNERSHIP.
- pandect, pandects
- a legal code or complete body or system of laws.
- pandectist
- 1. the writer of a complete code of the laws of a country.
- 2. the writer of a complete digest of materials on a subject.
- pettifogger
- 1. a lawyer whose practice is of a small or petty character; a lawyer of little importance.
- 2. a shyster lawyer. —pettifoggery, n.
- postremogeniture
- the rights or legal status of the last child bom in a family. Also called ultimogeniture. Cf. primogeniture.
- primogeniture
- the rights or legal status of the first born in a family. Cf. postremogeniture.
- publicist
- an expert in public or international law.
- revisionism
- the advocacy of revision, especially in relation to court decisions. —revisionist, n. —revisionary, adj.
- squatterism
- 1. the state or practice of being a squatter, or one who settles on government land, thereby establishing ownership.
- 2. the state or practice of settling in vacant or abandoned property, either for shelter or in an attempt to establish ownership. —squatter, n.
- symbolaeography
- the drawing up of legal documents. —symbolaeographer, n.
- ultimogeniture
- postremogeniture.
- vassalage
- 1. the condition of land tenure of a vassal.
- 2. the fief or lands held.