non compos mentis

[ nohn-kohm-pohs men-tis; English non-kom-puhs men-tis ]
See synonyms for non compos mentis on Thesaurus.com
adjectiveLatin.
  1. not of sound mind; mentally incapable of managing one's affairs (used especially in a legal context).: Compare compos mentis.

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How to use non compos mentis in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for non compos mentis

non compos mentis

/ Latin (ˈnɒn ˈkɒmpəs ˈmɛntɪs) /


adjective
  1. mentally incapable of managing one's own affairs; of unsound mind

Origin of non compos mentis

1
Latin: not in control of one's mind

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for non compos mentis

non compos mentis

[ (non kom-puhs men-tis) ]


A phrase used to describe someone who is out of his or her mind and therefore not legally responsible for his or her actions: “It was determined by the court that the killer was non compos mentis.” From Latin, meaning “not having control of the mind.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.