legal terminology
Lawyer's specialized vocabulary
Legal terminology is the specialized vocabulary used in law, courts, and legal documents.
Much of it derives from Latin and Norman French, reflecting the history of English common law.
Legal terminology includes terms of art with precise technical meanings (mens rea, habeas corpus, estoppel) as well as formal phrases that persist in contracts and statutes (hereinafter, notwithstanding, whereas).
The language can obscure meaning from non-lawyers, which is why plain-language movements have pushed to simplify legal writing.
- statuteEnacted written rule
- statute of limitationsLegal deadline for claims
- habeas corpusWrit challenging lawful custody
- affidavitSworn written statement
- motionChange in position
summons · cease and desist · admissibility · due process · burden of proof · reasonable doubt · probable cause · felony · extradition · subpoena · misdemeanor · arraignment · plea bargain · judge · pro bono · precedent · certiorari · liability
- legal vocabularylaw dictionary, legalese, Latin terms, definitions, expressions
- legal termstrial, appeal, lawsuit, law, verdict
- language varietiesdialect, idiolect, sociolect, vernacular, accent
- law schoollaw school, law schools, law student, law students, law degree
- court interpretingsimultaneous translation, sign language interpreters
legal terminologyplain English
Unadorned, accessible wording
everyday language · common parlance · layman's terms · vernacular · colloquial speech