common law
Use Common law in a sentencecommon law
noun
1.
the system of law originating in England, as distinct from the civil or Roman law and the canon or ecclesiastical law.
2.
the unwritten law, especially of England, based on custom or court decision, as distinct from statute law.
3.
the law administered through the system of courts established for the purpose, as distinct from equity or admiralty.
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English
1300–50; Middle English
Dictionary.com Unabridged
ənˈlɔ
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To common law
00:10
Common law
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
| common law | |
| —n | |
| 1. | the body of law based on judicial decisions and custom, as distinct from statute law |
| 2. | the law of a state that is of general application, as distinct from regional customs |
| 3. | (modifier) common-law denoting a marriage deemed to exist after a couple have cohabited for several years: common-law marriage; common-law wife |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
common law
c.1350, "the customary and unwritten laws of England as embodied in commentaries and old cases" (see common), as opposed to statute law. Phrase common law marriage is attested from 1909.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
common law definition
Law developed in the course of time from the rulings of judges, as opposed to law embodied in statutes passed by legislatures (statutory law) or law embodied in a written constitution (constitutional law). (See stare decisis.)
Note: The importance of common law is particularly stressed in the legal system of Britain, on which the legal system of the United States is based.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
It's similar to saying you may have a right based on statute or common law.
In this state there is no common law in any case where the law is declared by statute.
Nearby Words
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