The Law Dictionary

Your Free Online Legal Dictionary • Featuring Black’s Law Dictionary, 2nd Ed.

Category: P

PORTORIA

In the civil law. Duties paid in ports on merchandise. Taxes levied in old times at city gates. Tolls for passing over bridges.

POSSIBILITY

An uncertain thing which may happen. A contingent interest in real or personal estate. Kinzie v. Winston, 14 Fed. Cas. 651; Bodenhamer v. Welch. 89 N. C. 78; Needles v. Needles, 7

POST-NOTES

A species of bank-notes payable at a distant period, and not on de- mand. They are a species of obligation resorted to by banks when the exchanges of the country, and especially

POSTHUMOUS CHILD

One born after the death of its father; or, when the Cawa- reuu operation is performed, after that of the mother. Posthumus pro uato habetur. A posthumous child is considered us though

PACE

A measure of length containing two feet and a half, being the ordinary length of a step.

PAINS AND PENALTIES, BILLS OF

The name given to acts of parliament to attaint particular persons of treason or felony, or to inflict pains and penalties beyond or contrary to the common law, to serve a spe-

PANEL

The roll or slip of parchment returned by the sheriff in obedience to a venire facias, containing the names of the persons whom he has summoned to attend the court as jurymen.

PARAPHERNAUX, BIENS

Fr. In French law. All the wife’s properly which is not subject to the riqime dotal is called by this name; and of these articles the wife has the entire administration; but

PARENTHESIS

Part of a sentence occurring in the middle thereof, and inclosed between marks like ( ), the omission of which part would not injure the grammatical construction of the rest of the

PART

A portion, share, or purpart One of two duplicate originals of a conveyance or covenant, the other being called “counterpart.” Also, in composition, partial or incomplete; as part payment, part performance. Cairo

PARTNERSHIP

A voluntary contract between two or more competent persons to place their money, effects, labor, and skill, or some or all of them, in lawful commerce or business, with the understanding that

PASS,

v. 1. In practice. To utter or pronounce; as when the court passes sentence upon a prisoner. Also to proceed; to be rendered or given; as when judgment is said to pass

PATRIARCH

The chief bishop over several countries or provinces, as an archbishop is of several dioceses. Godb. 20.

PATRUUS

Lat. An uncle by the father’s side; a father’s brother.

PECULIARS

COURT OP Ga. 27, 11 S. E. 721; HufTmans v. Walker, 26 Grat. (Va.) 316. By “payment” is meant not only the delivery of a sum of money, when such is the

PEDE PULVEROSUS

In old English and Scotch law. Dusty-foot. A term applied to itinerant merchants, chapmen, or peddlers who attended fairs.

PENNY

An English coin, being the twelfth part of a shilling. It was also used in America during the colonial period.

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