Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The system of laws originated and developed in England and based on court decisions, on the doctrines implicit in those decisions, and on customs and usages rather than on codified written laws.
Wiktionary
- n. law Law developed by judges through decisions of courts and similar tribunals (also called case law), as distinguished from legislative statutes or regulations promulgated by the executive branch.
- n. law typically in the phrase "common law system" -- a legal system that gives great precedential weight to common law (in sense 1), as opposed to a civil law, Islamic law, and Soviet law systems.
- n. law typically in the phrase "common law jurisdiction" -- a jurisdiction that uses a common law system (in sense 2), United Kingdom and most of its former colonies and possessions, including the United States.
- n. law (archaic) one of two legal systems in England and in the United States before 1938 (the other being "equity").
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. a system of jurisprudence developing under the guidance of the courts so as to apply a consistent and reasonable rule to each litigated case. It may be superseded by statute, but unless superseded it controls.
- n. See under Common.
WordNet 3.0
- n. (civil law) a law established by following earlier judicial decisions
- n. a system of jurisprudence based on judicial precedents rather than statutory laws
- adj. based on common law
Examples
“The abstrusest elements of the common law are impressed into a disciplined service.”
“If the Council deems any derogation from the common law useful, it ought to send a postulatum to the pope.”
“The common law was evolved by the fiction that the whole law was to be found in the bosoms of the judges (in gremio iudicum) and was conjured up from that repository as occasion required.”
“For we know that the common law is that system of law which was introduced by the Saxons on their settlement in England, and altered from time to time by proper legislative authority from that time to the date of Magna Charta, which terminates the period of the common law, or lex non scripta, and commences that of the statute law, or Lex Scripta.”
“About twenty years ago, in the famous "Clitheroe case," this was done, but the highest court in England, without any change by statute, reformed the common law and set the woman free.”
“Railroads are not chartered for the purpose of granting privlieges and monopolies to a few individuals for their exclusive advantage, but for the benefit of the people, and however few the restraints contained in their charters, they are under obligations and conditions imposed by the common law of the land, which they should not be permitted to disregard.”
“The truth is that Christianity and Newtonianism being reason and verity itself, in the opinion of all but infidels and Cartesians, they are protected under the wings of the common law from the dominion of other sects, but not erected into dominion over them.”
“Was the son of Francis Goldsmith, of St. Giles in the Fields in Middlesex, Esq; was educated under Dr. Nicholas Grey, in Merchant-Taylor's School, became a gentleman commoner in Pembroke-College in the beginning of 1629, was soon after translated to St. John's College, and after he had taken a degree in arts, to Grey's-Inn, where he studied the common law several years, but other learning more [1].”
“Rescripts contrary to common law contain a derogatory clause: all things to the contrary notwithstanding.”
“Finally, in answer to Fortescue Aland's question why the ten commandments should not now be a part of the common law of England? we may say they are not because they never were made so by legislative authority, the document which has imposed that doubt on him being a manifest forgery.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘common law’.
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JURI - courtroom speak
Legal glossary with special focus on courtroom vocabulary
accused, acquittal, ADA, adjournment, adjudication, affidavit, affirmed, aggravated range, aggravating factors, allegation, alleged, answer and 794 more...
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ENVI - Collocations ABC
An extract from the "Zold Tolmacs" project, a HU-EN environmental dictionary compiled by Robert Gulyas in 2000.
AA battery, aa lava, aapa mire, abandon the project, abandon the sewer..., abandoned car, abandoned dyke, abandoned farm, abandoned field, abandoned industr..., abandoned industr..., abandoned land and 5386 more...
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AGRI - sustainable agriculture
abiota, aborigines, absorptive capacity, acceptable daily ..., acclimation, acid precipitation, acquired by weeds..., active solar heating, acute, adaptation, additives, aerosol and 447 more...
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UK Realia
Shoo!, Holly, Pixie, Mr Paws, Shandy, Snowy, Tibbles, Tufty, bull terrier, cocker spaniel, Irish setter, Yorkshire terrier and 1132 more...
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Law
common law, defense, plea, defendant, plaintiff, argument, law, grant, subpoena, tarnish, estoppel, replevin and 5 more...
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this side of paradise
facile, bluing, arsene lupin, mackinaw, toboggan hat, chameleon ties, for the honor of ..., common law, dangerous dan mcgrew, the broad highway, henty, belmont collar
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