nexum (nek-s[schwa]m), n. [Latin] Roman law. A transaction or practice of early Roman law under which a debtor, upon a failure to repay the debt, could be seized and held in bondage until the debt was repaid. • This practice was allowed in very early Roman law. “Nexum. This highly controversial matter will be briefly […]
depreciation (di-pree-shee-ay-sh[schwa]n), n. A decline in an asset’s value because of use, wear, or obsolescence. Cf. APPRECIATION; AMORTIZATION(2). — depreciate, vb. — depreciable, adj. accumulated depreciation. The total depreciation currently recorded on an asset. • On the balance sheet, an asset’s total cost less accumulated depreciation reflects the asset’s book value. — Also termed accrued
scutage (skyoo-tij), n. [fr. Latin scutum “a shield”] Hist. 1. A monetary payment levied by the king on barons as a substitute for some or all of the knights to be supplied to the king by each baron. • This payment seems to date from the 12th century, Henry II (1154–1189) having levied five scutages
Maritime law. The obsolete principle that when two parties are jointly liable to a third party for a tort, each party is liable for only half the damages. • The courts now apply a comparative-negligence standard. [Cases: Collision 143. C.J.S. Collision §§ 242, 245, 259, 261–262.]
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jus incognitum (j[schwa]s in-kog-n[schwa]-t[schwa]m), n. [Latin] Civil law. An unknown or obsolete law.
clerk of the market. Hist. The overseer of a public market, responsible for witnessing oral contracts, inquiring into weights and measures, measuring land, and settling disputes between people dealing there. • The office has become obsolete as a result of various statutes regulating weights and measures.
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nisi prius (nI-sIprI-[schwa]s). [Latin “unless before then”] A civil trial court in which, unlike in an appellate court, issues are tried before a jury. • The term is obsolete in the United States except in New York and Oklahoma. — Abbr. n.p. — Also termed nisi prius court.
impeachment. 1. The act (by a legislature) of calling for the removal from office of a public official, accomplished by presenting a written charge of the official’s alleged misconduct; esp., the initiation of a proceeding in the U.S. House of Representatives against a federal official, such as the President or a judge. • Congress’s authority
comparative rectitude. Family law. Archaic. The degree to which one spouse is less culpable than the other in damaging the marriage, so that even though both spouses are at fault, the less culpable spouse may successfully petition for a separation or divorce. • Comparative rectitude tempers the doctrine of recrimination by making a divorce possible
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Fifty Decisions. Justinian’s rulings that settled controversies and eliminated obsolete rules in the law. • The decisions were made in preparation for Justinian’s Digest. — Also termed (in Latin) Quinquaginta Decisiones. 50 PERCENT PLUS ONE 50 percent plus one. See HALF PLUS ONE. 50-PERCENT RULE 50-percent rule. The principle that liability for negligence is apportioned