FindLaw Legal Dictionary

Legal Term of the Day

• Dec 15, 2019 7:00 AM:  Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (Cobra)
  A federal law that requires employers to allow employees to continue their health insurance coverage after termination, in the same insurance group, at the group rate, and providing the same benefits

• Dec 14, 2019 7:00 AM:  Inference
  1 : the act or process of inferring ;specif : the act of passing from one proposition, statement, or judgment considered as true to another whose truth is believed to follow logically from that of ...

• Dec 13, 2019 7:00 AM:  Invasion Of Privacy
  :the tort of unjustifiably intruding upon another's right to privacy by appropriating his or her name or likeness, by unreasonably interfering with his or her seclusion, by publicizing information ...

• Dec 12, 2019 7:00 AM:  Finance
  1 pl : money or other liquid resources of a government, business, group, or individual 2 : the system that includes the circulation of money, the granting of credit, the making of investments, and ...

• Dec 11, 2019 7:00 AM:  Draw
  drew drawn draw·ing vt 1 : to compose by random selection [ a jury] 2 : to take (money) from a place of deposit 3 : to write and sign (a draft) in due form for use in making a demand [ a ...

• Dec 10, 2019 7:00 AM:  Ll.M.
  [New Latin legum magister] master of laws

• Dec 9, 2019 7:00 AM:  Stipulation
  1 : an act of stipulating 2 : something stipulated: as a : an agreement between parties regarding some aspect of a legal proceeding [a of facts] [admitted the charges in a prehearing "New York Law ...

• Dec 8, 2019 7:00 AM:  Ban
  banned ban·ning : to prohibit or forbid esp. by legal means (as by statute or order) [ solicitation] ;also : to prohibit the use, performance, or distribution of [legislation to DDT]

• Dec 7, 2019 7:00 AM:  Trusteed
  : managed or administered by a trustee

• Dec 6, 2019 7:00 AM:  Inherently Dangerous
  1 : of, relating to, or being an activity or occupation whose nature presents a risk of grave injury without the use of and sometimes despite the use of special skill and care 2 : of, relating to, ...

• Dec 5, 2019 7:00 AM:  Bailiff
  [Anglo-French, steward, king's official, from bail stewardship, custody, handing over see bail ] : an officer of some courts in the U.S. whose duties usually include keeping order in the courtroom ...

• Dec 4, 2019 7:00 AM:  Cancellation
  also can·cel·a·tion n 1 : the act or an instance of cancelling 2 : a mark made to cancel something (as a check)

• Dec 3, 2019 7:00 AM:  Caveatee
  : one against whose interest a caveat is entered or filed

• Dec 2, 2019 7:00 AM:  Var
  Acronym for Value Added Reseller. A VAR is a business that adds its own "value," or application, to an existing product, and resells the resulting enhanced product as a package.

• Dec 1, 2019 7:00 AM:  Constitutional
  1 : consistent with or authorized by the constitution of a state or society [ rights] 2 : regulated by, dependent on, or ruling according to a constitution [a monarchy] 3 : of, relating to, or ...

• Nov 30, 2019 7:00 AM:  Substantive Offense
  : substantive crime

• Nov 29, 2019 7:00 AM:  Borne
  past part of bear

• Nov 28, 2019 7:00 AM:  Fixed Amount Option
  : installments-for-a-fixed-amount option at option

• Nov 27, 2019 7:00 AM:  Subscribe
  sub·scribed sub·scrib·ing [Latin subscribere, literally, to write beneath, from sub- under + scribere to write] vt 1 : to write (one's name) underneath or at the end of a document [we ...

• Nov 26, 2019 7:00 AM:  Succeed
  1 : to come next after another in office or position 2 a : to take something by succession [ed to his mother's estate] b : to acquire the rights, obligations, and charges of a decedent in property ...

• Nov 25, 2019 7:00 AM:  Statutory Rape
  : rape consisting of sexual intercourse with a person beneath an age (as 14 years) specified by statute NOTE: Many state statutes also specify a minimum age of the perpetrator or an age differential ...

• Nov 24, 2019 7:00 AM:  Contemner
  also con·tem·nor [kən-tem-nər] n : one who commits contempt

• Nov 23, 2019 7:00 AM:  Former Jeopardy
  1 : a common-law plea in bar of autrefois acquit or autrefois convict 2 : double jeopardy

• Nov 22, 2019 7:00 AM:  Gross Income
  : all income derived from any source except for items specifically excluded by law NOTE: Section 61 of the Internal Revenue Code lists fifteen nonexclusive items that should be included in gross ...

• Nov 21, 2019 7:00 AM:  Trust Agreement
  : an agreement establishing and setting forth the material terms of a trust

• Nov 20, 2019 7:00 AM:  Circuit Justice
  : a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States who is also assigned to sit as a judge of a circuit court

• Nov 19, 2019 7:00 AM:  Irrelevant
  : not relevant : not applicable or pertinent [ allegations] [ evidence] compare immaterial ir·rel·e·vant·ly adv

• Nov 18, 2019 7:00 AM:  Adc
  Aid to Dependent Children

• Nov 17, 2019 7:00 AM:  Infeudation
  [Medieval Latin infeudatio, from infeudare to enfeoff, from in- in + feudum feoff] : enfeoffment

• Nov 16, 2019 7:00 AM:  Libellee
  also li·bel·ee [lī-bə-lē] n 1 : a party against whom a suit has been instituted by a libel ;esp : the respondent or defendant in a divorce proceeding 2 : a person who has ...

• Nov 15, 2019 7:00 AM:  Causal
  1 : of, relating to, or constituting a cause [ negligence] 2 : involving causation or a cause [no relationship between driving without insurance and the accident "National Law Journal"] [a link ...

• Nov 14, 2019 7:00 AM:  Bailor
  : an individual or entity (as a business organization) placing personal property in the possession of another under a bailment

• Nov 13, 2019 7:00 AM:  Fair-Trade
  : to market (a commodity) in compliance with the provisions of a fair-trade agreement fair trade n fair trader n

• Nov 12, 2019 7:00 AM:  Disgorge
  dis·gorged dis·gorg·ing : to give up (as illegally gained profits) on request, under pressure, or by court order esp. to prevent unjust enrichment [ordered a…salesman to about ...

• Nov 11, 2019 7:00 AM:  Force Majeure
  [French, superior force] 1 : superior or insuperable force 2 : an event (as war, labor strike, or extreme weather) or effect that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled : fortuitous event ...

• Nov 10, 2019 7:00 AM:  Outlaw
  [Old English tlaga, from Old Norse tlagi, from t out + lag lg law] 1 : a person excluded from the benefit or protection of the law [a trespasser is not an ] 2 : a lawless person or a fugitive from ...

• Nov 9, 2019 7:00 AM:  Mortgage Insurance Premium (Mip)
  a monthly payment -usually part of the mortgage payment - paid by a borrower for mortgage insurance.

• Nov 8, 2019 7:00 AM:  Exigent
  : requiring immediate aid or action see also exigent circumstances

• Nov 7, 2019 7:00 AM:  Civil Right
  : civil liberty ;esp : any of the civil liberties guaranteed by the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution and by the Civil Rights Acts usually used in pl. see also Civil Rights Act of ...

• Nov 6, 2019 7:00 AM:  Special Interrogatory
  : an interrogatory addressed to a jury seeking a determination of a specific issue or issues of ultimate fact for the purpose of testing the deliberations and conclusions of the jury for consistency ...

• Nov 5, 2019 7:00 AM:  Right Of Publicity
  :the right to prevent unauthorized use of one's name or likeness by a third person for commercial benefit

• Nov 4, 2019 7:00 AM:  Fix
  1 a : to make firm, stable, or stationary b : to attach physically 2 : to influence the actions, outcome, or effect of by improper or illegal methods [conspiracy to defraud the government by ing ...

• Nov 3, 2019 7:00 AM:  Repayment Plan
  an agreement between a lender and a delinquent borrower where the borrower agrees to make additional payments to pay down past due amounts while making regularly scheduled payments.

• Nov 2, 2019 7:00 AM:  Pre-Qualify
  a lender informally determines the maximum amount an individual is eligible to borrow. This is not a guaranty of a loan.

• Nov 1, 2019 7:00 AM:  Entire
  : not capable of being divided into independent parts (as promises) : constituting an undivided unit [an contract] compare divisible, severable

• Oct 31, 2019 7:00 AM:  Constitutional
  1 : consistent with or authorized by the constitution of a state or society [ rights] 2 : regulated by, dependent on, or ruling according to a constitution [a monarchy] 3 : of, relating to, or ...

• Oct 30, 2019 7:00 AM:  Discretionary
  : left to discretion : exercised at one's own discretion ;specif : relating to the policy-making function of a public official see also Federal Tort Claims Act in the Important Laws section compare ...

• Oct 29, 2019 7:00 AM:  Obscene
  [Middle French, from Latin obscenus obscaenus indecent, lewd] : extremely or deeply offensive according to contemporary community standards of morality or decency see also Roth v. United States in ...

• Oct 28, 2019 7:00 AM:  Status Quo Ante
  [Latin, state in which previously] : the state of affairs that existed previously [rescind the contract and restore the parties to the status quo ante]

• Oct 27, 2019 7:00 AM:  Chapter 11
  : chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code see also Bankruptcy Code in the Important Laws section

• Oct 26, 2019 7:00 AM:  Notice Of Allowance
  A written notification from the USPTO that a specific mark has survived the opposition period following publication in the Official Gazette, and has consequently been allowed for registration. It does ...

• Oct 25, 2019 7:00 AM:  Cash Out
  1 : to prematurely redeem the securities of (a holder) often as part of a merger [the merging company will cash out the minority shareholders] 2 a : to accept payment for (a security) in full often ...

• Oct 24, 2019 7:00 AM:  Deduction
  1 : an amount allowed by tax laws to be subtracted from income in order to decrease the amount of income tax due see also Internal Revenue Code in the Important Laws section compare credit, ...

• Oct 23, 2019 7:00 AM:  Facilitate
  -tat·ed -tat·ing : to make easier : help bring about [a vehicle used to commission of the offense] fa·cil·i·ta·tion [fə-si-lə-tā-shən] n

• Oct 22, 2019 7:00 AM:  Certify
  -fied -fy·ing [Medieval Latin certificare, from Late Latin, to assure, convince, from Latin certus certain + -ficare to make] 1 : to state authoritatively: as a : to give assurance of the ...

• Oct 21, 2019 7:00 AM:  Censor
  : to examine (as a publication or film) in order to suppress or delete any contents considered objectionable

• Oct 20, 2019 7:00 AM:  Amici
  pl of amicus

• Oct 19, 2019 7:00 AM:  Open Market
  : a freely competitive market in which any buyer or seller may trade and in which prices are determined by competition

• Oct 18, 2019 7:00 AM:  Apportion
  : to make a usually proportionate division or distribution of (an amount due) according to a plan: as a : to divide (an amount due in tax or other liability) among the parties responsible for ...

• Oct 17, 2019 7:00 AM:  Special Law
  1 : local law 2 : a law that applies to a particular place or esp. to a particular member or members of a class of persons or things in the same situation but not to the entire class and that is ...

• Oct 16, 2019 7:00 AM:  National Labor Relations Board
  (NLRB) Hears disputes between employers and unionized employees.

• Oct 15, 2019 7:00 AM:  U.S.C.
  United States Code see also the Important Laws section

• Oct 14, 2019 7:00 AM:  Espionage
  : the practice of gathering, transmitting, or losing through gross negligence information relating to the defense of the U.S. with the intent that or with reason to believe that the information will ...

• 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