force majeure
force majeure (fors ma-zh[schwa]r). [Law French “a superior force”] An event or effect that can be neither anticipated nor controlled. • The term includes both acts of nature (e.g., floods and hurricanes) and acts of people (e.g., riots, strikes, and wars). — Also termed force majesture; vis major; superior force. Cf. ACT OF GOD; VIS MAJOR.