indemnity

[ in-dem-ni-tee ]
See synonyms for indemnity on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural in·dem·ni·ties.
  1. protection or security against damage or loss.

  2. compensation for damage or loss sustained.

  1. something paid by way of such compensation.

  2. protection, as by insurance, from liabilities or penalties incurred by one's actions.

  3. legal exemption from penalties attaching to unconstitutional or illegal actions, granted to public officers and other persons.

Origin of indemnity

1
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English indem(p)nite, from Middle French indemnité, from Latin indemnitāt-, stem of indemnitās “security from financial loss”; see origin at in-3, damn, -i-, -ty2

Other words from indemnity

  • an·ti-in·dem·ni·ty, adjective
  • pre·in·dem·ni·ty, noun, plural pre·in·dem·ni·ties.

Words Nearby indemnity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use indemnity in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for indemnity

indemnity

/ (ɪnˈdɛmnɪtɪ) /


nounplural -ties
  1. compensation for loss or damage; reimbursement

  2. protection or insurance against future loss or damage

  1. legal exemption from penalties or liabilities incurred through one's acts or defaults

  2. (in Canada) the salary paid to a member of Parliament or of a legislature

  3. act of indemnity an act of Parliament granting exemption to public officers from technical penalties that they may have been compelled to incur

Origin of indemnity

1
C15: from Late Latin indemnitās, from indemnis uninjured, from Latin in- 1 + damnum damage

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