doom, n. Hist. 1. A statute or law. 2. A judgment; esp., a sentence in a criminal matter. 3. Justice; fairness. 4. A trial; the process of adjudicating. “The word ‘doom’ is, perhaps, best translated as ‘judgment.’ It survived in occasional use until the fourteenth century. Wyclif’s translation of the Bible, rendering the verse, ‘For […]
corruption of blood. A defunct doctrine, now considered unconstitutional, under which a person loses the ability to inherit or pass property as a result of an attainder or of being declared civilly dead. — Also termed corruption of the blood. See ATTAINDER; civil death (1) under DEATH. “Corruption of blood is, when any one is
corruption of blood Read More »
assisa de morte antecessoris. See assize of mort d’ancestor under ASSIZE(6).
assisa de morte antecessoris Read More »
A blood relative in the direct line of ascent; ancestor. • Parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents are lineal ascendants.
festuca (fes-tyoo-k[schwa]). Hist. A rod, staff, or stick used as a pledge (or gage) of good faith by a party to a contract or as a token of conveyance of land. • In Roman law, a festuca was a symbol of ownership. — Also termed fistuca; vindicta. See LIVERY OF SEISIN. “The wed or gage,
national origin. The country in which a person was born, or from which the person’s ancestors came. • This term is used in several antidiscrimination statutes, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination because of an individual’s “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.” 42 USCA § 2000e-2. [Cases:
besayel (bes-ay-[schwa]l). [Law French] Hist. 1. A writ of right used by a great-grandfather’s heirs to recover property held by the great-grandfather. See assize of mort d’ancestor under ASSIZE(6). 2. A great-grandfather. — Also spelled besaiel; besaile; bisaile; besayle. Cf. AIEL; COSINAGE.
privy (priv-ee), n. pl. A person having a legal interest of privity in any action, matter, or property; a person who is in privity with another. • Traditionally, there were six types of privies: (1) privies in blood, such as an heir and an ancestor; (2) privies in representation, such as an executor and a