civil law   n.   The body of laws of a state or nation dealing with the rights of private citizens. The law of ancient Rome as embodied in the Justinian code, especially that which applied to private citizens. A system of law having its origin in Roman law, as opposed to common law or canon law.

Main Entry: civil law
Function: noun
often cap C&L 1 : Roman law esp. as set forth in the Code of Justinian
2 : the body of law developed from Roman law and used in Louisiana, in continental Europe, and in many other countries outside of the English-speaking world including esp. those that were colonized by countries of continental Europe —see also the JUDICIAL SYSTEM in the back matter —compare COMMON LAW
NOTE: Although Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. whose law is based entirely on civil law, remnants of civil law remain in other states (as Texas and California) in which countries of continental Europe had a strong influence.
3 : the law established by a nation or state for its own jurisdiction
4 : the law that applies to private rights esp. as opposed to the law that applies to criminal matters —compare CRIMINAL LAW