Nomen collectivum
Defined in 4 dictionaries — Ballentine's (1916), Black's (1910), Black's (1891), Bouvier (1839)
Ballentine's Law Dictionary
James A. Ballentine · 1916
Black's Law Dictionary
Henry Campbell Black, M.A. · 1910
A collective name or term; a term expressive of a class; a term including several of the same kind ; a term expressive of the plural, as well as singular, number.
Defined under Nomen in Black's Law Dictionary.
A Dictionary of Law
Henry Campbell Black · 1891
A collective name or term; a term expressive of a class; a term including several of the same kind; a term expressive of the plural, as well as singular, number. Nomen est quasi rei notamen. A name is, as it were, the note of a thing. 11 Coke, 20.
A Law Dictionary, Adapted to the Constitution and Laws of the United States
John Bouvier · 1839
This expression is used to signify that a word in the singular number is to be understood in the plural in certain cases. Misdemeanor, for example, is a word of this kind, and when in the singular, may be taken as nomen collecttoum, and including several offences. 2 Barn. & Adolp. 75. Heir, in the singular, sometimes includes all the heirs.