oyer

[ oh-yer, oi-er ]

nounLaw.
  1. a hearing in open court involving the production of some document pleaded by one party and demanded by the other, the party pleading the document being said to make profert.

Origin of oyer

1
1375–1425; late Middle English <Anglo-French; Old French oïr to hear <Latin audīre

Words Nearby oyer

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How to use oyer in a sentence

  • The great oyer of poisoning was, however, calculated to make a very deep impression on the public mind.

  • It was held, in accordance with the Virginian act, by a commission of oyer and terminer, appointed by the governor.

  • I always become enthusiastic oyer the rugged grandeur of some Canadian rivers with which I am familiar.

    Fishing With The Fly | Charles F. Orvis and Others
  • Then Mrs. Gwynne stopped, put her hand oyer her eyes for a moment, removed it, and looked earnestly at her guest.

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  • Her hand passed caressingly oyer my face, and in a few minutes I was asleep, and slept as I had not slept for many weeks past.

British Dictionary definitions for oyer

oyer

/ (ɔɪə) /


noun
  1. English legal history (in the 13th century) an assize

  2. (formerly) the reading out loud of a document in court

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