FindLaw Legal Dictionary

Legal Term of the Day

• Oct 13, 2019 7:00 AM:  Upc
  Uniform Probate Code see also the Important Laws section

• Oct 12, 2019 7:00 AM:  Primary Boycott
  : an organized effort of a labor union and its members to discourage consumers from buying the products of a particular employer compare secondary boycott

• Oct 11, 2019 7:00 AM:  Wiretapping
  : interception of the contents of communication through a secret connection to the telephone line of one whose conversations are to be monitored usually for purposes of criminal investigation by law ...

• Oct 10, 2019 7:00 AM:  Arson
  [Anglo-French arsoun, alteration of Old French arsin, literally, conflagration, from ars, past participle of ardre to burn] : the act or crime of willfully, wrongfully, and unjustifiably setting ...

• Oct 9, 2019 7:00 AM:  Surrender
  1 a : to yield to the control or possession of another [ the leased premises] [ collateral to a creditor] b : to give up completely or agree to forgo c : to cancel (one's insurance policy) ...

• Oct 8, 2019 7:00 AM:  Ethical
  1 : of or relating to ethics 2 : conforming to accepted professional standards of conduct eth·i·cal·ly adv

• Oct 7, 2019 7:00 AM:  Indicia
  [Latin, plural of indicium sign, from indicare to point out] : distinctive indications [ of reliability]

• Oct 6, 2019 7:00 AM:  Legislative History
  : a published record (as of drafts and commentary by the drafters) relating to the passing of particular legislation

• Oct 5, 2019 7:00 AM:  Credit Bureau
  : a private business that compiles information on consumers' creditworthiness and provides this information to lenders

• Oct 4, 2019 7:00 AM:  Allonge
  [French, literally, something that lengthens, from Old French alonge, from alongier to make long, ultimately from Latin longus long] : a paper attached to an instrument to provide space for ...

• Oct 3, 2019 7:00 AM:  Molest
  1 : to annoy, disturb, or persecute esp. with hostile intent or injurious effect 2 : to make annoying sexual advances to ;specif : to force physical and usually sexual contact on (as a child) ...

• Oct 2, 2019 7:00 AM:  Heinous
  : enormously and shockingly evil [a crime] hei·nous·ly adv hei·nous·ness n

• Oct 1, 2019 7:00 AM:  Gamble
  gam·bled gam·bling vi : to risk something of value for the chance of winning a prize vt : to risk (something) for the chance of winning a prize gam·bler [-blər] n

• Sep 30, 2019 7:00 AM:  Competent
  1 : having or showing requisite or adequate ability or qualities [a lawyer] [ representation by counsel] 2 a : free from addiction or mental defect that renders one incapable of taking care of ...

• Sep 29, 2019 7:00 AM:  Job
  jobbed job·bing vi 1 : to do odd or occasional pieces of work for hire 2 : to carry on the business of a middleman or wholesaler vt 1 : to buy and sell (as stock) for profit 2 : to hire or ...

• Sep 28, 2019 7:00 AM:  Greenmail
  [green (money) + -mail (as in blackmail)] : the practice of buying enough of a company's stock to threaten a hostile takeover and reselling it to the company at a price above market value ;also : ...

• Sep 27, 2019 7:00 AM:  Quantum Meruit
  [Latin, as much as he/she deserved] 1 : a claim or count grounded on an implied contract that the defendant would pay the plaintiff as much as deserved for services or materials provided ;specif : a ...

• Sep 26, 2019 7:00 AM:  District Court Of Appeal
  :any of the appellate courts in Florida

• Sep 25, 2019 7:00 AM:  Public Accommodations
  Federal and state laws prohibit discrimination against certain protected groups in businesses and places that are considered "public accommodations." The definition of a "public accommodation" may ...

• Sep 24, 2019 7:00 AM:  Warrantor
  : a person who makes or gives a warranty

• Sep 23, 2019 7:00 AM:  Giveback
  : a previous gain (as an increase in wages or benefits) given back to management by workers (as in a labor contract)

• Sep 22, 2019 7:00 AM:  Ex Post Facto Law
  : a civil or criminal law with retroactive effect ;esp : a law that retroactively alters a defendant's rights esp. by criminalizing and imposing punishment for an act that was not criminal or ...

• Sep 21, 2019 7:00 AM:  Cross-License
  -censed -cens·ing : to license (a patent or invention) to another to use in return for a similar license [cross-licensed its patents with a Japanese company]

• Sep 20, 2019 7:00 AM:  Repossess
  : to regain possession of ;esp : to take possession of again by judicial process or self-help upon default of the payment of installments due compare foreclose, seize re·pos·ses·sor ...

• Sep 19, 2019 7:00 AM:  Jus Accrescendi
  [Latin, literally, right of increasing] : a right of accrual ;specif : right of survivorship compare accretion

• Sep 18, 2019 7:00 AM:  Purpresture
  [Anglo-French, alteration of Old French porpresure, from porprendre to seize, occupy, enclose, from por- for + prendre to take, from Latin prehendere] : wrongful appropriation of land subject to the ...

• Sep 17, 2019 7:00 AM:  Chapter 13 (Wage Earner's Plan)
  A petition designed for any insolvent debtor who is a wage earner to provide the debtor with additional time to pay off creditors.

• Sep 16, 2019 7:00 AM:  Complain
  : to make a complaint

• Sep 15, 2019 7:00 AM:  Implicate
  -cat·ed -cat·ing : to involve as a consequence, corollary, or natural inference [firing the federal employee because of her protest s the First Amendment]

• Sep 14, 2019 7:00 AM:  Misrepresentation
  : an intentionally or sometimes negligently false representation made verbally, by conduct, or sometimes by nondisclosure or concealment and often for the purpose of deceiving, defrauding, or causing ...

• Sep 13, 2019 7:00 AM:  Unreasonably Dangerous
  : characterized by a hazard due to design, defect, or a failure to warn that would not be contemplated by an ordinary user of the product and that is not outweighed by utility [impose strict ...

• Sep 12, 2019 7:00 AM:  Attenuation
  : a lessening of the amount, force, or magnitude of something ;specif : a weakening of the connection between an illegal police procedure and the evidence obtained by it such that the evidence is ...

• Sep 11, 2019 7:00 AM:  Residency
  pl: -cies 1 : an often official place of residence 2 : the condition of being a resident of a particular place

• Sep 10, 2019 7:00 AM:  Disintermediation
  [from the investor's bypassing of the intermediate institution] : the diversion of savings from accounts with low fixed interest rates to direct investment in high-yielding instruments

• Sep 9, 2019 7:00 AM:  Court Of Claims
  1 often cap both Cs : a court (as in Illinois, Michigan, New York, and West Virginia) that has jurisdiction primarily over cases involving claims against the state 2 cap : a former court succeeded ...

• Sep 8, 2019 7:00 AM:  Mrv
  See Machine Readable Visa.

• Sep 7, 2019 7:00 AM:  Def.
  defendant

• Sep 6, 2019 7:00 AM:  Stock Manipulation
  : illicit behavior that creates or attempts to give the appearance of active trading in a security (as to induce others to buy or sell)

• Sep 5, 2019 7:00 AM:  Procedural Law
  : law that prescribes the procedures and methods for enforcing rights and duties and for obtaining redress (as in a suit) and that is distinguished from law that creates, defines, or regulates rights ...

• Sep 4, 2019 7:00 AM:  Surrogacy
  pl: -cies : the office of a surrogate

• Sep 3, 2019 7:00 AM:  Loss Of Bargain
  :benefit of the bargain

• Sep 2, 2019 7:00 AM:  Majority Leader
  : a leader of the majority party in a legislative body

• Sep 1, 2019 7:00 AM:  Unproven
  : not proven [an allegation]

• Aug 31, 2019 7:00 AM:  Prothonotary
  pl: -ries [Late Latin protonotarius, from proto- first in time + Latin notarius stenographer] : a chief clerk of any of various courts of law pro·thon·o·tar·i·al ...

• Aug 30, 2019 7:00 AM:  Borne
  past part of bear

• Aug 29, 2019 7:00 AM:  Unsecured Claim
  A claim or debt for which a creditor holds no special assurance of payment, such as a mortgage or lien; a debt for which credit was extended based solely upon the creditor's assessment of the debtor's ...

• Aug 28, 2019 7:00 AM:  Net Worth Method
  : a method used by the Internal Revenue Service to detect and calculate tax evasion in which the change in a taxpayer's net worth is compared to reported taxable income taking into account living ...

• Aug 27, 2019 7:00 AM:  Delinquency
  pl: -cies 1 a : the quality or state of being delinquent b : juvenile delinquency [contributing to the of a minor] 2 : a debt on which payment is overdue [consumer loan delinquencies]

• Aug 26, 2019 7:00 AM:  Procedural
  : of or relating to procedure [sentence reversed as result of error in sentencing "National Law Journal"] compare substantive pro·ce·dur·al·ly adv

• Aug 25, 2019 7:00 AM:  Conforming Loan
  is a loan that does not exceed Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's loan limits. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae loans are referred to as conforming loans.

• Aug 24, 2019 7:00 AM:  Moral Hazard
  : the possibility of loss to an insurance company (as by arson) arising from the character or circumstances of the insured [deductibles decrease moral hazard]

• Aug 23, 2019 7:00 AM:  Aggregation
  1 : the collecting of individual units (as damages) into a whole 2 : a collection of separate parts that is unpatentable because no integrated mechanism or new and useful result is produced compare ...

• Aug 22, 2019 7:00 AM:  Individuals With Disabilities In Education Act (Idea)
  A federal law that guarantees the right to a free and appropriate education to disabled students. The IDEA typically requires an individualized education program (IEP) for each disabled child ...

• Aug 21, 2019 7:00 AM:  Loiter
  : to remain in or hang around an area for no obvious purpose ;specif : to linger aimlessly for the purpose of committing a crime [a statute forbidding any person from ing on school grounds]

• Aug 20, 2019 7:00 AM:  International Law
  : a body of laws, rules, or legal principles that are based on custom, treaties, or legislation and that control or affect the rights and duties of nations in relation to each other compare internal ...

• Aug 19, 2019 7:00 AM:  Nlra
  National Labor Relations Act see also the Important Laws section

• Aug 18, 2019 7:00 AM:  Sentence
  [Old French, opinion, judicial sentence, from Latin sententia, ultimately from sentire to feel, think, express an opinion] 1 : a judgment formally pronouncing the punishment to be inflicted on one ...

• Aug 17, 2019 7:00 AM:  Infringe
  in·fringed in·fring·ing [Medieval Latin infringere, from Latin, to break, crush, from in- in + frangere to break] vt : to encroach upon in a way that violates law or the rights of ...

• Aug 16, 2019 7:00 AM:  Fed
  : the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System see also Federal Reserve System in the Important Agencies section

• Aug 15, 2019 7:00 AM:  Elector
  1 : a person who is qualified to vote 2 : a member of the electoral college in the U.S.

• Aug 14, 2019 7:00 AM:  Closing
  : the fulfillment or performance of a contract esp. for the sale of real estate ;also : a meeting at which the closing of a contract takes place [represented us at the ] NOTE: At the closing for the ...

• Aug 13, 2019 7:00 AM:  Subordinate
  1 : placed in or occupying a lower rank, class, or position 2 : submissive to or controlled by authority

• Aug 12, 2019 7:00 AM:  Forge
  forged forg·ing vt : to make, alter, or imitate (as a writing) falsely with intent to defraud : counterfeit vi : to commit forgery forg·er n

• Aug 11, 2019 7:00 AM:  Disseise
  or dis·seize [dis-sēz] vt dis·seised or: dis·seized dis·seis·ing or: dis·seiz·ing [Anglo-French disseisir to dispossess, from Old French dessaisir, from ...

• Aug 10, 2019 7:00 AM:  Commerce
  1 : the exchange or buying and selling of goods, commodities, property, or services esp. on a large scale and involving transportation from place to place : trade see also commerce clause Fair ...

• Aug 9, 2019 7:00 AM:  Tippee
  : one who receives a tip esp. in insider trading

• Aug 8, 2019 7:00 AM:  Cross-Site_scripting
  Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) refers to a kind of computer security vulnerability, most often found in web applications, whereby malicious web programmers are able to inject code into websites viewed by ...

• Aug 7, 2019 7:00 AM:  Unjust Enrichment
  1 : the retaining of a benefit (as money) conferred by another when principles of equity and justice call for restitution to the other party ;also : the retaining of property acquired esp. by fraud ...

• Aug 6, 2019 7:00 AM:  Fmla
  Short for the Family and Medical Leave Act, which applies to employers who have more than fifty employees on their payroll. The FMLA prohibits employers from discriminating against employees who ...

• Aug 5, 2019 7:00 AM:  Desertion
  : the forsaking of a person, post, or relationship: as a : permanent withdrawal from living with one's spouse without the spouse's consent and without cause or justification NOTE: Desertion is a ...

• Aug 4, 2019 7:00 AM:  Slander Of Title
  :a false and malicious written or spoken public statement disparaging a person's title to property that causes harm for which special damages may be awarded [damages for the filing of a fraudulent ...

• Aug 3, 2019 7:00 AM:  Impasse
  : a point in esp. labor negotiations at which reaching an agreement is impossible because neither party is willing to compromise or change position

• Aug 2, 2019 7:00 AM:  Actus Reus
  [New Latin, guilty deed] : the wrongful act that makes up the physical action of a crime see also crime compare mens rea

• Aug 1, 2019 7:00 AM:  Son Of Sam Law
  [after Son of Sam, pseudonym of serial killer David Berkowitz, whose profits from the sale of his story a 1977 New York statute attempted to divert to his victims] : a law preventing criminals from ...

• Jul 31, 2019 7:00 AM:  Quasi-Legislative
  : of, relating to, or being an administrative act, body, or procedure that is concerned with the promulgation of rules and regulations or the adoption of laws, charters, or orders and that is based ...

• Jul 30, 2019 7:00 AM:  Competency
  1 : the quality or state of being mentally competent compare capacity, incompetence, insanity 2 : the quality or state of being legally qualified or adequate [the , quantum and legal effect of ...

• Jul 29, 2019 7:00 AM:  Judicial Conference
  : a conference of judges and sometimes other concerned individuals (as members of the bar) at which important judicial affairs are reviewed and conducted for the purpose of improving the ...

• Jul 28, 2019 7:00 AM:  Jury Box
  1 : the usually enclosed place where the jury sits in a courtroom compare bar, bench, dock, sidebar, stand 2 : a box from which the names of prospective jurors are drawn by chance : jury wheel

• Jul 27, 2019 7:00 AM:  Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus Test
  : a test for intoxication (as of a driver) based on observation of involuntary jerking movements of the eyes as they follow horizontal motion

• Jul 26, 2019 7:00 AM:  Penal Sum
  : a sum to be paid as a penalty esp. under the terms of a bond

• Jul 25, 2019 7:00 AM:  Open Court
  1 : a recorded judicial proceeding that is presided over by a judge and attended by the parties and their attorneys and that is convened for the purpose of conducting official business compare in ...

• Jul 24, 2019 7:00 AM:  Passport
  A document issued by competent authority showing the bearer's origin, identity, and nationality, which is valid for the entry of the bearer into a foreign country.

• Jul 23, 2019 7:00 AM:  Hecm (Reverse Mortgage)
  the reverse mortgage is used by senior homeowners age 62 and older to convert the equity in their home into monthly streams of income and/or a line of credit to be repaid when they no longer occupy ...

• Jul 22, 2019 7:00 AM:  Comparative Market Analysis (Comps)
  a property evaluation that determines property value by comparing similar properties sold within the last year.

• Jul 21, 2019 7:00 AM:  Commissioner
  : a person with a commission: as a : a member of a commission b often cap : the officer in charge of a government agency [a police ]

• Jul 20, 2019 7:00 AM:  Preference
  1 : the right to prior payment of a debt [with over the creditors of the heirs or legatees "Louisiana Civil Code"] 2 : the transfer of an insolvent debtor's interest in property to a creditor for an ...

• Jul 19, 2019 7:00 AM:  Penalty
  pl: -ties 1 : a punishment that is imposed on a wrongdoer by statute or judicial decision 2 : a pecuniary sum that by agreement is to be paid by a party who fails to fulfill an obligation to another ...

• Jul 18, 2019 7:00 AM:  Accident Insurance
  : insurance against loss to the insured through accidental bodily injury

• Jul 17, 2019 7:00 AM:  Trial Court
  : the court before which issues of fact and law are tried and first determined as distinguished from an appellate court

• Jul 16, 2019 7:00 AM:  Appellate Brief
  Written arguments by counsel required to be filed with appellate court on why the trial court acted correctly (appellee's brief) or incorrectly (appellant's brief).

• Jul 15, 2019 7:00 AM:  Back
  1 : being overdue or in arrears [ rent] 2 : being retroactive esp. as compensation [reinstated with pay]

• Jul 14, 2019 7:00 AM:  Third-Party Plaintiff
  : a defendant who files a third-party complaint against a third party

• Jul 13, 2019 7:00 AM:  Donate
  do·nat·ed do·nat·ing vt : to transfer by a gift or donation vi : to make a donation compare give, sell

• Jul 12, 2019 7:00 AM:  Indictable
  : making one liable to indictment [an offense]

• Jul 11, 2019 7:00 AM:  Discount Rate
  1 : the interest on an annual basis deducted in advance on a loan 2 : the interest levied by the Federal Reserve for advances and rediscounts

• Jul 10, 2019 7:00 AM:  Causality
  pl: -ties : the relationship between cause and effect

• Jul 9, 2019 7:00 AM:  Marriage Settlement
  1 : antenuptial agreement 2 : a written agreement regarding matters of support, custody, property division, and visitation upon a couple's divorce called also marriage settlement agreement

• Jul 8, 2019 7:00 AM:  Delinquent
  : a delinquent person ;esp : juvenile delinquent

• Jul 7, 2019 7:00 AM:  Dol
  Department of Labor see also the Important Agencies section

• Jul 6, 2019 7:00 AM:  Un-
  1 : not [uncounseled] 2 : contrary to [unconstitutional]