A Law Dictionary and Glossary

I. The goods acquired through the mother descend to those connected with her.

In English ecclesiastical law. Causes of action or injuries respecting the rights of marriage.

I. In the civil law. Matrimony; marriage. Matrimonia debent esse libera: marriages ought to be free.

/. A mother church; a cathedral church, in respect of the parochial churches within the same diocese, or a parochial church, in respect of the chapels depending on her.

That which is perceptible by the senses; a substantial thing, opposed to form; the subject of legal consideration, action or defense; the facts constituting a part or the whole of

The time when a bill of exchange or promissory note becomes due.

I. fr. In old English law. To command; to return, as a j Haxiin. A general principle; a postulate or axiom; a rule of general or universal application, upon which other rules are f

I. The greatest Maximus erroris magister popalns: the people is the greatest master of error.

In the con.struction of public statutes, is often to be construed " must."

v. Maihem.

The chief or executive magistrate of a municipal corporation.

A tract of land above the shore of a sea or stream, which is over-flowed by spring and extraordinary tides only, and which yields grass good for hay.

Intermediate.

To pursue a winding course, as a river or stream; to follow the course of a stream, according to its windings; to survey a stream according to its actual course.

Instrumentality; resources, property or money. Means of snp- ^ port: any of the resources from which the necessaries of life are or may be derived.

mese. In old English law. A messuage or dwelling-house.

The rule, or rather the system of rules, governing the estimation of damages as a compensation for injuries in actions at law.

A workman who with the use of tools shapes and unites materials into some sort of machine or structure; an artisan.

In old English law. A bribe or reward; a compensation given in exchange, where the things exchanged were not of equal value.

Z. In old English law. Mean; intermediate; between two.

I. I In old English law. An arbitrator.

Pertaining to medicine, or the study and practice of medicina Medical attendance: may include nursing. Medical jurisprudence: the science of medicine as applied to questions arisin

/. I In old English law. A moiety; one half; a half part, divided and separated. Medietas lingna;: moiety of tongue; halftongue; applied to a jury empanelled in a cause, consisting

I In the meantima

2, In Scots law. Contemplation of flight; intention to abscond.

melletam, L I. In old English law. A mixing together; a medley or melee; an affray or sudden encounter; an offense sud-

sax. In Saxon law. A reward given to an informer.

I. Better; the better. Melior est conditio possidentis: the condition of the party in possession is the better one; — et rei qiiain actoris: the condition of the party in possessio

I. Better; the better. Melius a Terium: the better [best] beast. Melius est: it is better; — in tempore occurrere, quam post causam Yulneratam remedinm quserere: it is better to me

I. and eng. To be remembered; be it remembered; a formal word with which the body of a record in the court of King's Bench anciently commenced; a special clause in an instrument, t

l, Memorie, I. fr. In old English law. Memory; faculty of remembrance; mental soundness generally.

The faculty by which mental impressions are reproduced; understanding; full possession of the mental powers, as in the expression sound and disposing mind and memory. In English la

I. In old English law. Falsehbod statement made with intent to deceive.

I. Mind; understanding; vcill; intention. the intention of the law maker. Mens rea: testatoris in testamentis spectanda est: tator is to be regarded in wills. Mente captus:

I In old English law. A table; board,

I. In civil and old English law. A the prohibited month, v. Fence month. "Mensura, I. In old English law. A measure. or mensura regalis: the king's measure, — kept in the exchequer

I. To lie; to assert a falsehood. Mentiri ire: to lie is to go against the mind.

nierchandisa, uiercandisia, 1. 1. In chandise; all goods and wares exposed to sale

The law of trade; that branch and enforces the rights and duties of merchants sons.

I. A buying; a traf Bpking or trading.

I In civil and old English law. A word was used to mean all sorts of traders, though strictly it meant buyer.

mercatus, mercadnm, marcatnin, European law. A place of public buying and

Merchen-lage, Merclien-lae, sax. of the Mercians; one of the three principal prevailed in England, in the times of the was observed in many of the midland counties, the Welsh borde

L In the civil law. Hire or compensation

Strictly, a buyer, but by extension buys and sells; one who deals^ in the purchase dealer in merchandise; a trader. Merchants' meaning of statutes of limitation, accounts merchandi

Vendible in market, and hence fit and suitable for its purpose.

I. In old English law. Wares. dizas: wares and merchandises.; a falsehood; a false or manage; to bring; Mens leg-islatoris: criminal intent. Mens the intention of the tesof unsound

Articles of trade or trafl Sc; subjects bought and sold, or bought to be sold again.

I. fr. and eng. In old English law. tion of the king, lord or judge, in rectly censured by law. v. Amerciament.

The mere right of property in without possession or the right of possession.

In old English law. A stone lands.

The sinking, drowning, absorption thing in another. Merger of estates: of a lesser estate in a greater, where they same person, without any intermediate equity may not follow, and

Matter of substance in law, as mere form; a substantial ground of defense

statute of. A statute of 20 Henry usury, legitimacy, etc. So called, because held at the monastery or priory of the Surrey.

I. Merchandise; movable articles articles of trade. Merx est quicqnld whatever can be sold. Mercis appellatio pertinet: the term merchandise belongs Mercis appellatione liomines no

I. fr. A mischance.

I. fr. Suspected of crime; guilty.

I. fr. A misdeed; an offense.

I. fr. A wrong-doer; a criminal.

mesnality. In old English law. mesne.

I. fr. and eng. Middle; intermediate The arbitrament or discrepunishing any offense, not diland; the jus proprietatis, for bounding or dividing or extinguishment of one the extingu

I. fr. To misbehave; to do amiss; to offend; literally, to mistaka

Z./r. Mistake; a mistaking.

A person who bears a message; one who bears a notice, invitation or communication, oral or written, from one person to another or to a public body.

I. A harvest or crop. In Scots law. Messis sementem sequitur: the crop belongs to [follows] the sower.

mesuagium, I. I. In old English law. A messuage; a house. Messnagium sire domns: a messuage or housa

A dwelling-house with out-buildings, garden, orchard and curtilaga

I. fr. Mystery; handicraft; trade; occupation.

I. In old English law. A boundary line; a border or terminus. Properly, a visible object, standing on the line, as a stone or trea

In English law. One of the titles of an archbishop, — derived from the circumstance that archbishops were consecrated at first in a metropolis.

I. fr. To put, place or set; to put, or suppose, as a case. Mettre a large: to set free. Mettre en escript: to put in writing. Mettons: put, suppose. Mettomus: let us suppose or ad

I. fr. To occupy; to manure, v. Manure.

One of the four terms of the English courts of common law, beginning on the 2d and ending on the 25th of November.

michelsynoth, sax. Great meeting; the great assembly of the people; the Witenagemote.

An imaginary line drawn through the middle of a stream in the direction of its length, v. Medium,

Lat. To remove from one place to another; to migrate. Migrans jura amittat ac privilegia et immunitates domicilii prioris: one who emigrates will lose the rights, privileges and im

Imports freedom of action. In the constitution,, as. applied to black persons and contrasted with "importation," implies freedom.

A measure of distance, — on land, 5380 feet; at sea, 6086.7 feet. Mile circular: one of the whole number of miles, traveled in going to a place and returning therefrom.

pi. milites, I. In old English law. Knight; a knight. So called, because the knights formed part of the royal army, in virtue of their feudal tenures. In the civil law. A soldier.

Pertaining to war, to the army, to soldiers. Military law: a system of regulations for the government of an army, — quite distinct from martial law. ' In American law. Military gov

Military service; the national soldiery of a country, as distinguished from the standing army, consisting of able-bodied male inhabitants of a prescribed age, whd are enrolled, for

Includes not merely the building in which the business is carried on, but the site, dam, and other things connected with the free- Minatur innocentlbns qni parcit nocentibus, nocen

The understanding; the rational faculties. Mind and memory: a phrase tamentary capacity.

An opening in the earth made minerals, and, in case of coal mines,

Whatever is mined; in a large form, or have formed, part of the solid ai'e now destitute of life and incapable animal or vegetable, — including petroleum.

minimnm, Z. The least; the poralis est major qnalibet pecuniaria: ishment is greater than any pecuniary proximum: the least is the nearest to

I. In the least degi-ee; least of Minima mntanda sunt quae certam things which have had a certain has been settled, as by common opinion]

I. and eng. An assistant; an the order of another; an officer of cution of the law, and hence termed sheriff, bailiff, coroner, sheriff's officer sentative; a person ordained to pr

Attendant upon; subservient, cuted under the authority of or in not in the exercise of a discretioni is done in a given state of facts in ence to legal authority, without regard so

1. Less; younger; an infant. In old English law. A person of lower nority or infancy. Minor jnrare non oath. Minor 17 annis non admittitur under seventeen years i^ not admitted min

I. I. In English law. crown, including the rights of the I. He threatens the infaculty; the state of the mental used in wills to express tesfor the purpose of taking out commonly a

I. Less; not. In old English law. literatnra: incompetent In the civil law. Minus solutum: it is also been paid. Minus does not pay at all. Minute titlies. In old longed to the vic

Memoranda of in his minute book, therefrom; the record a corporation. In Scots law. A pleading the ground of his

I. In the civil

I. I. In old courts. Mirror of Justices, or in law French, and chamberlain of London

I. I. In old English compact or agreement

Mischance Miscontinuance. An continuance.

I. In old who totally renounced Misdemean. In old Miscarriage. Faulty damages. Miscarriage of justice.

Z. /r. In old English law. fidels,— classed with the worst criminals,

misdemesnor. dictable offense, not