oyer and terminer love

oyer and terminer

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A court of general criminal jurisdiction in some states of the United States.
  • noun A commission empowering a judge in Great Britain to hear and rule on a criminal case at the assizes.
  • noun The court in Great Britain where such a hearing is held.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun law, archaic A commission under which a court is empowered to hear and determine a criminal case.
  • noun law, archaic The hearing or trial carried out under such authority.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, partial translation of Anglo-Norman oyer et terminer, to hear and determine : oyer, to hear + terminer, to determine.]

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