Ratio Legis
Defined in 3 dictionaries — Cyclopedic (1922), Ballentine's (1916), Black's (1910)
The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary
Walter A. Shumaker and George Foster Longsdorf; ed. James C. Cahill · 1922
The reason or occasion of Grotius distinguishes between "ratio" and "mens," the meaning or intent of a law.
Ballentine's Law Dictionary
James A. Ballentine · 1916
The reason of the law.
Black's Law Dictionary
Henry Campbell Black, M.A. · 1910
The reason or occasion of a law ; the occasion of making a law. BL Law Tracts, 3.
Defined under Ratio in Black's Law Dictionary.