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

DOUBLE WASTE

When a tenant bound to repair suffers a house to be wasted, and then unlawfully fells timber to repair it, he issaid-to commit double waste. Co. Litt. 53.

DOUBLE WILL

A will in which two persons join, each leaving his property and estate to the other, so that the survivor takes thewhole. Evans v. Smith, 28 Ga. 98, 73 Am. Dec. 751.

DOUBT

Uncertainty of mind; the absence of a settled opinion or conviction; theattitude of mind towards the acceptance of or belief in a proposition, theory, orstatement, in which the judgment is not at

DOUBTFUL TITLE

One as to the validity of which there exists some doubt, either asto matter of fact or of law; one which invites or exposes the party holding it tolitigation. Distinguished from a

DOUN

L. Fr. A gift. Otherwise written “don” and “done.” The thirty-fourth chapter of Britton is entitled “De Douns.”

DOVE

Doves are animals ferce natures, and not the subject of larceny unless theyare in the owner’s custody; as, for example, in a dove-house, or when in the nestbefore they can fly. Com.

DOW ABLE

Subject to be charged with dower ; as dowable lands. Entitled or entitling to dower. Thus, a dowable interest in lands is such as entitles the owner to have such lands charged

DOWAGER

A widow who is endowed, or who has a jointure in lieu of dower. InEngland, this is a title or addition given to the widows of princes, dukes, earls, audother noblemen, to

DOWAGER-QUEEN

The widow of the king. As such she enjoys most of the privileges belonging to her as queen consort. It is nottreason to conspire her death or violate her chastity, because the

DOWER

The provision wBich the law makes for a widow out of the lauds or tenementsof her husband, for her support and the nurture of her children. Co. Litt. 30a;2 Bl. Comm. 130;

DOWER AD OSTIUM ECCLESIAE

Dower at the church door or porch. An ancient kind ofdower in England, where a man. (being tenant in fee-simple, of full age,) openly at thechurch door, where all marriages were formerly

DOWER BY THE COMMON LAW

The ordinary kind of dower in English and American law, consisting of a life interest in one-third of the lands of which the husband was seised in fee at any time during

DOWER BY CUSTOM

A kind of dower in England, regulated by custom, where the quantity allowed the wife differed from theproportion of the common law; as that the wife should have half the husband’s lands;or,

DOWER DE LA PLUIS BELLE

L. Fr. Dower of the fairest [part.] A species of ancientEnglish dower, incident to the old tenures, where there was a guardian in chivalry, andthe wife occupied lands of the heir as

DOWER EX ASSENSU PATRIS

Dower by the father’s assent. A species of dower ad ostium ecelcsiw, madewhen the husband’s father was alive, and the son, by his consent expressly given,endowed his wife with parcel of his

DOWMENT

In old English law. Endowment; dower. Grogan v. Garrison, 27 Ohio St. 61.

DOWRESS

A woman entitled to dower ; a tenant in dower. 2 P. Wms. 707.

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