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FindLaw Legal Dictionary

The FindLaw Legal Dictionary -- free access to over 8260 definitions of legal terms. Search for a definition or browse our legal glossaries.

term:

Special

special adj

1 : distinguished by some unusual quality [ circumstances justifying an award of attorney's fees]
2 : relating to a single thing or class of things
: having an individual character or trait [owed them a duty not owed to the public at large]
3 a : supplemental to the regular
b : assigned or provided to meet a need not covered under established procedures
4 : designed or selected for a particular purpose, occasion, or other end [family courts are courts of limited and jurisdiction "Cleveland v. Cleveland, 559 P.2d 744 (1977)"]
5 : containing particulars and details [a pleading]
spe·cial·ly adv



Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©1996. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.

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