definition of law by The Free Dictionary

law

Quotations
“The end of the law is, not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom” [John Locke Second Treatise of Civil Government]
“It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that’s pretty important” [Martin Luther King Jr]
“The law is a causeway upon which so long as he keeps to it a citizen may walk safely” [Robert Bolt A Man For All Seasons]
“No brilliance is needed in the law. Nothing but common sense, and relatively clean finger nails” [John Mortimer A Voyage Round My Father]
“Laws were made to be broken” [John Wilson Noctes Ambrosianae]
“The Common Law of England has been laboriously built about a mythical figure – the figure of “The Reasonable Man”” [A.P. Herbert Uncommon Law]
“We do not get good laws to restrain bad people. We get good people to restrain bad laws” [G.K. Chesterton All Things Considered]
“The law is a ass – a idiot” [Charles Dickens Oliver Twist]
“Written laws are like spider’s webs; they will catch, it is true, the weak and poor, but would be torn in pieces by the rich and powerful” [Anacharsis]
“Law is a bottomless pit” [Dr. Arbuthnot The History of John Bull]
“The one great principle of the English law is to make business for itself” [Charles Dickens Bleak House]
“The laws of most countries are far worse than the people who execute them, and many of them are only able to remain laws by being seldom or never carried into effect” [John Stuart Mill The Subjection of Women]

Proverbs
“Hard cases make bad laws”
“One law for the rich, and another for the poor”

Law

Law terms  abandonee, abate, abator, abet, abeyance, able, absente reo, absolute, acceptance (Contract law), accessory or accessary, accretion, accrue, accusation, accusatorial, accuse, accused, the, acquit, action, actionable, act of God, adjective, ad litem, adminicle, administration order, admissible, adopt, adult, advocate, advocation, affiant, affidavit, affiliate or filiate, affiliation or filiation, affiliation order, affiliation proceedings or (U.S.) paternity suit, affirm, affirmation, affray, agist, alibi, alienable, alienate, alienation, alienee, alienor, alimony, allege, alluvion, ambulatory, a mensa et thoro, amerce (obsolete), amicus curiae, amnesty, ancient, annulment, answer, Anton Piller order, appeal, appearance, appellant, appellate, appellee, appendant, approve, arbitrary, arbitration, arraign, array, arrest judgment, arrest of judgement, articled clerk, assault, assessor, assets, assign, assignee, assignment, assignor, assumpsit, attach, attachment, attainder, attaint (archaic), attorn, attorney, attorney-at-law, attorney general, authentic, authority, automatism, aver, avoid, avoidance, avow (rare), avulsion, award, bail, bailable, bailee (Contract law), bailiff, bailiwick, bailment (Contract law), bailor (Contract law), bailsman (rare), ban, bankrupt, bar, baron (English law), barratry or barretry, barrister or barrister-at-law, bench, the, bencher, beneficial, beneficiary, bequeath, bequest, bigamy, bill of attainder, bill of indictment, bill of sale, blasphemy or blasphemous libel, body corporate, bona fides, bona vacantia, bond, bondsman, breach of promise, breach of the peace, breach of trust, brief, briefless, bring, burden of proof, capias, capital, caption, carnal knowledge, cartulary or chartulary, case, case law, case stated or stated case, cassation, cause, caution, CAV, Cur. adv. vult, or Curia advisari vult, caveat, caveator, certificate of incorporation (Company law), chamber counsel or counsellor, chambers, certification, certiorari, cessor, cessionary, challenge, challenge to the array, challenge to the polls, champerty, chance-medley, chancery, change of venue, charge, chargeable, cheat, chief justice, chose, circuit (English law), citation, cite, civil death, civil marriage, clerk to the justices, close, codicil, codification, coexecutor, cognizable or cognisable, cognizance or cognisance, collusion, come on, commitment, committal, or (especially formerly) mittimus, common, commonage, common law, commutable, commutation, commute, competence, competency, competent, complainant, complaint (English law), complete (Land law), compound, compliance officer, composition, compurgation, conclusion, condemn, condition, condone, confiscate, connivance, connive, conscience clause, consensual, consideration, consolidation, consortium, constituent, constitute, constructive, contempt, contentious, continuance (U.S.), contraband, contract, contractor, contributory (Company law), contributory negligence, contumacy, convene, conventional, conversion, convert, conveyance, convincing, coparcenary or coparceny, coparcener or parcener, copyhold, copyholder, co-respondent, coroner, coroner’s inquest, coroner’s jury, corpus delicti, corpus juris, Corpus Juris Civilis, costs, counsel, counselor or counselor-at-law (U.S.), count, countercharge, counterclaim, counterpart, countersign, county court, court, court of first instance, covenant, coverture, covin, criminal conversation, criminate (rare), cross-examine, crown court (English law), cruelty, culpa (Civil law), culprit, cumulative evidence, custodian, custody, custom, customary, cy pres, damages, damnify, dead letter, debatable, decedent (chiefly U.S.), declarant, declaration, declaratory, decree, decree absolute, decree nisi, deed, deed poll, defalcate, defamation, default, defeasible, defeat, defence, defendant, deferred sentence, de jure, delict (Roman law), demand, demandant, demisit sine prole, demur, demurrer, denunciation (obsolete), deodand (English law), deponent, depose, deposition, deraign or darraign (obsolete), dereliction, descendible or descendable, desertion, detainer, determinable, determination, determine, detinue, devil, devisable, devise, devolve, dies non or dies non juridicus, digest, diligence, diminished responsibility, direct evidence, disaffirm, disafforest or disforest (English law), disannul, disbar, discharge, disclaim, discommon, discontinue, discovert, discovery, disinherit, dismiss, disorderly, disorderly conduct, disorderly house, dissent, distrain or distress, distrainee, distraint, distributee (chiefly U.S.), distribution, distringas, disturbance, dividend, divorce from bed and board (U.S.), docket, documentation, Doe, domain, donee, donor, dot (Civil law), dotation, dowable, dower, droit, due process of law, duress, earnest or earnest money (Contract law), effectual, emblements, eminent domain, empanel or impanel, encumbrance, encumbrancer, enfranchise (English law), engross, engrossment, enjoin, enter, equitable, equity, escheat, escrow, estop, estoppel, estovers, estray, estreat, evict, evidence, evocation (French law), examination, examine, examine-in-chief, exception, execute, execution, executor or (fem.) executrix, executory, exemplary damages, exemplify, exhibit, ex parte, expectancy, expropriate, extend, extent (U.S.), extinguish, extraditable, extradite, extrajudicial, eyre (English legal history), fact, factor (Commercial law), false imprisonment, Family Division, felo de se, feme, feme covert, feme sole, fiction, fideicommissary (Civil law), fideicommissum (Civil law), fiduciary or fiducial, fieri facias, file, filiate, filiation, find, finding, first offender, fiscal, flaw, folio, forbearance, force majeure, foreclose, foreign, foreman, forensic, forensic medicine, legal medicine, or medical jurisprudence, forest, forfeit, forjudge or forejudge, fornication, free, fungible, garnish, garnishee, garnishment, gavelkind (English law), gist, goods and chattels, grand jury (chiefly U.S.), grand larceny, grantee, grant, grantor, gratuitous, gravamen, grith (English legal history), ground rent, guarantee, guardian, guilty, habeas corpus, hand down (U.S. & Canad.), handling, hear, hearing, hearsay, heir or (fem.) heiress (Civil law), heirship, hereditary, heres or haeres (Civil law), heritable, heritage, heritor, holder, homologate, hung jury, hypothec (Roman law), hypothecate, immovable, impartible, impediment, imperfect, implead (rare), imprescriptable, in articles, in banc, in camera, incapacitate, incapacity, in chancery, incompetent, incorporeal, incriminate, indefeasible, indemnity, indenture, indeterminate sentence, inducement, in escrow, infant, in fee, inferior court, infirm, in flagrante delicto or flagrante delicto, ingoing, inheritance, injunction, injury, innuendo, in personam, in posse, inquest, inquisition, inquisitorial, in rem, insanity, in specie, instanter, institutes, instruct, instructions, instrument, insurable interest, intendment, intent, intention, interdict (Civil law), interlocutory, interplead, interpleader, interrogatories, intervene, inter vivos, intestate, invalidate, in venter, ipso jure, irrepleviable or irreplevisable, issuable, issue, jail delivery (English law), jeopardy, joinder, joint, jointress, jointure, judge, judge-made, judges’ rules, judgment or judgement, judgment by default, judicable, judicative, judicatory, judicature, judicial, judicial separation (Family law), judiciary, junior, jural, jurat, juratory, juridical, jurisconsult, jurisprudence, jurisprudent, jurist, juristic, juror, jury, juryman or (fem.) jurywoman, jury process, jus, jus gentium (Roman law), jus naturale (Roman law), jus sanguinis, jus soli, justice, justice court, justice of the peace, justiciable, justices in eyre (English legal history), justify, juvenile court, laches, land, lapse, larceny, Law French, Law Lords, law merchant (Mercantile law), lawsuit, law term, lawyer, leasehold, leaseholder, legist, letters of administration, lex loci, lex non scripta, lex scripta, lex talionis, libel, lien, limit, limitation, lis pendens, litigable, litigant, litigation, locus standi, magistrate, magistrates’ court or petty sessions, maintenance, malfeasance, malice, manager, mandamus, mandate (Roman or Contract law), manslaughter, manus, mare clausum, mare liberum, material, matter, mayhem or maihem, memorandum, mens rea, mental disorder, mental impairment, merger, merits, mesne, ministerial, misadventure, mise, misfeasance, misjoinder, mispleading, mistrial, misuser, mittimus, monopoly, moral, moratorium, morganatic or left-handed, mortgagee, mortmain or (less commonly) dead hand, motion, moveable or movable, muniments, mute, naked, Napoleonic Code, necessaries, negligence, next friend, nisi, nisi prius (history or U.S.), nolle prosequi, nol. pros., or nolle pros., nolo contendere (chiefly U.S.), nonage, non compos mentis, nonfeasance, nonjoinder, non liquet, non prosequitur or non pros., nonsuit, notary public, not guilty, novation, novel (Roman law), nude, nudum pactum, nuisance, oath, obiter dictum, obligation, oblivion, obreption, obscene, obtaining by deception, occupancy, occupant, offer (Contract law), Official Referee, onerous, onomastic, on, upon or under oath, onus probandi, open, opening, ordinary, overt, owelty, oyer (English legal history), oyer and terminer, panel, paraphernalia, pardon, parol, Particulars of Claim, party, paterfamilias (Roman law), peculium (Roman law), pecuniary, pecuniary advantage, pendente lite, perception, peremptory, persistent cruelty, personal, personal property or personalty, petit, petition, petitioner, petit jury or petty jury, petit larceny or petty larceny, petty, place of safety order, plaint, plaintiff, plea, plea bargaining, plead, pleading, pleadings, portion, port of entry, posse, posse comitatus, possessory, post-obit, prayer, precedent, precept, predispose, pre-emption, prefer, preference, premeditation, premises, prescribe, prescription, presentment (chiefly U.S.), presents, presume, presumption, preterition (Roman law), prima facie, primogeniture, principal, private law, private nuisance, privilege, privileged, privity, privy, prize court, probable cause, probate, proceed, proceeding, process, process-server, procuration, procuratory, prohibition, promisee (Contract law), promisor (Contract law), proof, property centre, proponent, propositus, propound (English law), prosecute, prosecuting attorney (U.S.), prosecution, prosecutor, prothonotary or protonotary, prove, provocation (English criminal law), psychopathic disorder, public defender (U.S.), public law, public nuisance, public prosecutor, pupil (Civil law), pupillage, pursuant, purview, quarter sessions, queen’s or king’s evidence, question, question of fact (English law), question of law (English law), quitclaim, quo warranto, real, real property, rebutter, recaption, receivership, recital, recognizance or recognisance, recognizee or recognisee, recognizor or recognisor, recorder, recoup, recover, recovery, recrimination, re-examine, reference, refresher (English law), rejoin, rejoinder, relation, relator (English or U.S. law), release, relief, remand, remise, remission, remit, repetition (Civil law), replevin, replevy, replication, reply, report, reporter, representation (Contract law), reprieve, rescue, reservation, res gestae, residuary, residue, res ipsa loquitur, res judicata or res adjudicata, resolutive, respondent, rest, restitution, restrictive covenant, retain, retry, return, returnable, reverse, review, right of common, riot, rout, rule, ruling, run, salvo, saving, scandal, schedule, scienter, scire facias (rare), script, secularize or secularise, self-defence, self-executing, sentence, separation (Family law), sequester or sequestrate, sequestration, serjeant at law, serjeant, sergeant at law, or sergeant, servitude, session, settlement, settlor, severable, several, severance, sign, signatory, sine, sine prole, slander, smart money (U.S.), socage (English law), soke (English legal history), solatium (chiefly U.S.), sole, solemnity, solicitor, solution, sound, sound in, special case, special pleading, specialty, specific performance, spinster, spoliation, squat, stale, stand by (English law), stand down, statement, statement of claim, state’s evidence (U.S.), statute law, statutory declaration, stillicide, stipulate (Roman law), stranger, stultify, submission, subpoena, subreption (rare), subrogate, subrogation, substantive, succeed, sue, sui juris, suit, suitor, summary, summary jurisdiction, summary offence, summation (U.S. law), summing-up, summons, suo jure, suo loco, surcharge, surety, surplusage, surrebuttal, surrebutter, surrejoinder, surrender, suspension, swear, swear in, swear out (U.S.), tales, tenancy, tenantry, tender, tenor, term, termor or termer, territorial court (U.S.), testament, testamentary, testate, testify, testimony, thing, third party, time immemorial, tipstaff, title, tort, tort-feasor, tortious, traffic court, transfer, transitory action, traverse, treasure-trove, trespass, triable, trial, trial court, tribunal, trover, try, udal, ultimogeniture, ultra vires, unalienable, unappealable, unavoidable, uncovenanted, unilateral, unincorporated, unlawful assembly, unreasonable behaviour, unwritten law, use, user, utter barrister, vacant, vacate, variance, vendee, vendor, venire facias, venireman (U.S.), venue, verdict, verification, verify, versus, vesture, vexatious, view, viewer, vindicate (Roman law), vindictive (English law), vitiate, voidable, voir dire, voluntary, voluntary arrangement, volunteer, voucher (English law, obsolete), wager of law (English legal history), waif (obsolete), waive, waiver, ward, ward of court, warrant, warranty (Contract or Insurance law), waste, will, witness, without prejudice, writ, writ of execution, wrong, year and a day (English law)

Criminal law terms  acquittal, actual bodily harm, arson, bailment, battery, burglary (English law), deception or (formerly) false pretences, embrace, embraceor or embracer, embracery, entry, felon, felonious, felony, force, forgery, grievous bodily harm, hard labour, housebreaking, impeach, indictable, indictment, infamous, malice aforethought, misdemeanant, misdemeanour, penal servitude (English law), perjure, perjury, personate, Riot Act, robbery, suborn, theft, thief, true bill (U.S. law), utter

Property law terms  abatement, abstract of title, abuttals, abutter, accession, ademption, administration, administrator, advancement, adverse, amortize or amortise, appoint, appointee, appointment, appointor, appurtenance, betterment, chattel, chattel personal, chattel real, convey or assure, deforce, demesne, demise, descent, devisee, devisor, dilapidation, disentail, disseise, divest, dominant tenement, dominium or (rare) dominion, easement, ejectment, enfeoff, entail, entry, equity of redemption, estate, fee, fee simple, fee tail, fixture, freehold, freeholder, heir apparent, heir-at-law, heirdom, heirloom, heriditament, hotchpot, intrusion, messuage, mortgagor or mortgager, oust, ouster, particular, partition, party wall, perpetuity, power of appointment, reconvert, remainder, remainderman, remitter, result, reversion, reversioner, revert, riparian, seisin or (U.S.) seizin, servient tenement, severalty, survivor, tail, tenure, transferee, transferor or transferrer, unity of interest, vested, vested interest, warranty

Scots law terms  advocate, Advocate Depute, agent, aliment, alimentary, approbate, approbate and reprobate, arrestment, assignation, assize, avizandum, condescendence, continue, crown agent, culpable homicide, curator, decern, declarator, decreet, defender, delict, depone, desert, district court or (formerly) justice of the peace court, feu, feu duty, fire raising, hypothec, interdict, interlocutor, law agent, location, lockfast, mandate, multiplepoinding, notour, notour bankrupt, not proven, poind, poinding, precognition, procurator fiscal or fiscal, pupil, repetition, repone, sasine, sequestrate, sheriff officer, thirlage, tradition, tutor, wadset, warrant sale