Search for: legalism
2401 Etymology dictionary, p. band (n.1).4
… senses ("legal or moral commitment; captivity, imprisonment," etc.) have passed into bond (n.), which originally was a phonetic variant of this band. The Middle English …
2402 Etymology dictionary, p. banlieue (n.).2
… the legal jurisdiction." German had a similar formation, bann-meile (see mile (n.)), in the same sense; and compare Middle English bane cruces "crosses marking the …
2403 Etymology dictionary, p. bar (n.3).2
… , the legal profession," 1550s, a sense which derives ultimately from the railing that separated benchers from the hall in the Inns of Court (see bar (n.1)). Students …
2404 Etymology dictionary, p. barratry (n.).3
… starting legal suits" is from 1640s. The sense of the word has been somewhat confused with that of Middle English baratri "combat, fighting" (c. 1400), from Old Norse …
2405 Etymology dictionary, p. barrister (n.).2
"one practicing as an advocate in English courts of law," 1540s, from bar (n.3) in the legal sense + -ster. Also see attorney. The middle element is obscure. Related: Barristerial .
2406 Etymology dictionary, p. beat (v.).4
… of "legally avoid, escape" in beat the charges, etc., attested from c. 1920 in underworld slang). The sense of "be too difficult for" intellectually or physically …
2407 Etymology dictionary, p. benevolence (n.).3
In English history, this was the name given to forced extra-legal loans or contributions to the crown, first so called 1473 by Edward IV, who "asked" it as a token of good will toward his rule.
2408 Etymology dictionary, p. bequeath (v.).3
… the legal sense of "transfer by legacy." Compare bequest. "An old word kept alive in wills" [OED 1st ed.]. Old English bequeðere meant "interpreter, translator." Related …
2409 Etymology dictionary, p. black code (n.).2
local or state legal restrictions on black persons, free or slave, 1774, American English, though the first reference is to French colonies in the West Indies.
2410 Etymology dictionary, p. bonded (adj.).2
"legally confirmed or secured by bond," 1590s, from bond (v.).
2411 Etymology dictionary, p. bondage (n.).2
… . 1300, "legal condition of a serf or slave," from Middle English bond "a serf, tenant farmer," from Old English bonda "householder," from or cognate with Old Norse boandi …
2412 Etymology dictionary, p. brief (n.).2
… modern, legal sense of "systematic summary of the facts of a case" (1630s). The sense of "a short or concise writing" is from 1560s. In German, Brief has become the general …
2413 Etymology dictionary, p. bushel (n.).3
… precise legal definition, it varied in U.S. from state to state. It has been used since late 14c. loosely to mean "a large quantity or number." Attested from late …
2414 Etymology dictionary, p. butt (n.2).2
… a legal measure, but it varied greatly and the subject is a complicated one (see notes in Century Dictionary).
2415 Etymology dictionary, p. capacity (n.).2
… a legal, moral, or intellectual sense, from Old French capacité "ability to hold" (15c.), from Latin capacitatem (nominative capacitas ) "breadth, capacity, capability …
2416 Etymology dictionary, p. capacitate (v.).2
1650s, "make capable; furnish with legal powers," from Latin capacitas (see capacity ) + -ate (2). Related: Capacitation .
2417 Etymology dictionary, p. caption (n.).3
… of legal documents involving seizure, deposition, etc. ( "Certificate of caption" ). Thus the sense was extended to "the beginning of any document," and further to …
2418 Etymology dictionary, p. carnal (adj.).3
… in legal use by 1680s. Medieval Latin carnalis meant "natural, of the same blood," a sense sometimes found in Middle English carnal .
2419 Etymology dictionary, p. case (n.1).5
… , originally legal; case-law "law as settled by previous court cases" is from 1861.
2420 Etymology dictionary, p. cat-o'-nine-tails (n.).2
"nine pieces of knotted cord fastened to a handle and used to flog the bare back," 1690s, probably so called in reference to its "claws." It was a legal instrument of punishment in British Navy until 1881.