recognizance

n.

1. Law.
   1. An obligation of record that is entered into before a court or magistrate, containing a condition to perform a particular act, such as making a court appearance.
   2. A sum of money pledged to assure the performance of such an act.
2. A recognition.
3. Archaic. A pledge; a token.

[Middle English recognisanze, from Old French recognuissance, alteration (influenced by Medieval Latin recognizāre, to recognize) of reconoissance, from reconoistre, reconoiss-, to recognize. See recognize.]

recognizant re·cog'ni·zant adj.

For more information on recognizance, visit Britannica.com.

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

A recorded obligation, entered into before a tribunal, in which an individual pledges to perform a specific act or to subscribe to a certain course of conduct.

For example, an individual who owes money might enter into a recognizance whereby she agrees to satisfy the debt.

In criminal law, an individual who has been found guilty of an offense can be mandated to enter into a recognizance whereby she agrees to keep the peace in the future. An individual who has been accused but not yet convicted of a criminal offense may be allowed to go free prior to the trial without being required to post a bail bond. The accused individual provides the court with a formal written statement, which declares that his failure to appear will precipitate payment to the court of a specifically indicated sum of money. This is known as a release on one's own recognizance, or personal recognizance.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - sikkerhedsstillelse, kaution (jur.)

Nederlands (Dutch)
borgtocht, belofte aan rechter met borg als onderpand

Français (French)
n. - (Jur) engagement (devant un tribunal), caution

Deutsch (German)
n. - Verpflichtung, Kaution

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - υπεγγυότητα

Italiano (Italian)
cauzione, identificazione

Português (Portuguese)
n. - reconhecimento (f)

Русский (Russian)
распоряжение суда, обязательство данное в суде

Español (Spanish)
n. - fianza, compromiso

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - borgensumma

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
保证书, 保释金, 保证金

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 保證書, 保釋金, 保證金

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 승인, 인지, 서약, 보석금

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 誓約, 誓約保証金

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) كفاله, الإقرار الإلتزامي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮ערבות, התחייבות‬

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