gens (jenz), n. [Latin] Roman law. A clan or group of families who share the same name and (supposedly) a common ancestor; extended family. • Members of a gens are freeborn and possess full civic rights. Pl. gentes. “A wider group still is the gens, of great importance in early law though its importance was […]
nephew. 1. The son of a person’s brother or sister; sometimes understood to include the son of a person’s brother-in-law or sister-in-law. • This term is extended in some wills to include a grandnephew. Cf. NIECE. [Cases: Descent and Distribution 32. C.J.S. Descent and Distribution §§ 40–41.] half nephew. The son of one’s half brother
escheat (es-cheet), n. 1. Hist. The reversion of land ownership back to the lord when the immediate tenant dies without heirs. See WRIT OF ESCHEAT. 2. Reversion of property (esp. real property) to the state upon the death of an owner who has neither a will nor any legal heirs. [Cases: Escheat 1–8. C.J.S. Escheat
freeware. Software, esp. open-source code, that is made generally available with express or implicit permission for anyone to use, copy, modify, and distribute for any purpose, including financial gain. • The term “free” refers to usage rights rather than price — a distinction important in two respects. First, a user may purchase the initial copy
beggar-thy-neighbor policy. A government’s protectionist course of action taken to discourage imports by raising tariffs and instituting nontariff barriers, usu. to reduce domestic unemployment and increase domestic output. • This term is sometimes applied to competitive currency devaluation.
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suggestion on the record. A formal written or oral statement informing the court of an important fact that may require a stay of proceedings or affect the court’s decision. • Suggestions on the record include suggestion of bankruptcy, suggestion of death, and suggestion of error.
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port. 1. A harbor where ships load and unload cargo. [Cases: Navigable Waters 14. C.J.S. Navigable Waters § 37.] 2. Any place where persons and cargo are allowed to enter a country and where customs officials are stationed. — Also termed (in sense 2) port of entry. foreign port. 1. One exclusively within the jurisdiction
mallum (mal-[schwa]m), n. [Law Latin] Hist. 1. A superior court among the Salian Franks, with criminal jurisdiction; a high court that handles important business. 2. A public national assembly. — Also termed mallus.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. An international bill of rights proclaimed by the United Nations in December 1948, being that body’s first general enumeration of human rights and fundamental freedoms. • The preamble states that “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is
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boundary. 1. A natural or artificial separation that delineates the confines of real property (the creek serves as a boundary between the two properties). See METES AND BOUNDS. [Cases: Boundaries 1–25. C.J.S. Boundaries §§ 2–63.] “The object of all rules for the establishment of boundaries is to ascertain the actual location of the boundary as