| 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, esp. 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. |
[kom-uhn-law] 
| of, pertaining to, or established by common law: a common-law spouse. |
| com·mon-law (kŏm'ən-lô') adj.
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