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outlawry

 
Dictionary: out·law·ry   (out'') pronunciation
n., pl., -ries.
  1. The act or process of outlawing or the state of having been outlawed.
  2. Defiance of the law.

[Middle English outlauerie, from Anglo-Norman utlagerie and from Medieval Latin ūtlagāria, both from Old English ūtlaga, outlaw. See outlaw.]


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British History: outlawry
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Outlawry originated as the community's way of dealing with a violent or dangerous wrongdoer. A declaration of outlawry deprived the outlaw of the protection of the king and the law; his property was forfeit to the king and he could be killed with impunity.

Law Encyclopedia: Outlawry
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This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

A declaration under Old English law by which a person found in contempt on a civil or criminal process was considered an outlaw — that is, someone who is beyond the protection or assistance of the law.

During the Anglo-Saxon period of English history, a person who committed certain crimes lost whatever protection he or she had under the law, forfeited whatever property he or she owned, and could be killed by anyone. If the crime committed was treason or a felony, a declaration of outlawry was tantamount to a conviction and attainder. Outlawry for a misdemeanor did not, however, amount to a conviction for the offense. The Norman Conquest led to significant changes in the law governing outlawry, eventually leading to its abolition.

WordNet: outlawry
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: illegality as a consequence of unlawful acts; defiance of the law
  Synonym: lawlessness


 
 
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contempt
treason
felony

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
British History. A Dictionary of British History. Copyright © 2001, 2004 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Law Encyclopedia. West's Encyclopedia of American Law. Copyright © 1998 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more