common-law
1 of 2adjective
com·mon-law ˈkä-mən-ˌlȯ 
1
: of, relating to, or based on the common law
2
: relating to or based on a common-law marriage
common law
2 of 2noun
: the body of law developed in England primarily from judicial decisions based on custom and precedent, unwritten in statute or code, and constituting the basis of the English legal system and of the system in all of the U.S. except Louisiana
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Robert Bumsted, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2022 The defense is simply the contemporary incarnation of the same defense which existed in the English common law, an in various ancient law before that. Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 20 June 2022 To negate a woman’s right to reproductive self-government because it cannot be found in English common law is like arguing that fish aren’t real because they cannot be found in your bathtub. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 11 May 2022 The 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica gives the subject short shrift: common law is simply regional practice in various parts of the country. Marilynne Robinson, Harper’s Magazine , 20 July 2022 Unlike the American system of common law borrowed from the British, Germany uses civil law heavily influenced from Napoleonic reforms. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 19 July 2022 Gagnon is a graduate of McGill University with a degree in civil and common law, and holds a master’s degree in public administration and public policy from the London School of Economics. Karl Moore, Forbes, 28 June 2022 In its ruling Friday, the court also referred to the importance of English common law in Alabama law and the protections of private property in the Magna Carta. al, 29 June 2022 It is also embedded in English common law, under the general premise that charities and nonprofits such as churches do good in society. The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Apr. 2022 See More
Noun
And in February, the board canceled the suspensions, while adding conditions to limit and monitor contact with his common law spouse and children. Robert Bumsted, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2022 The defense is simply the contemporary incarnation of the same defense which existed in the English common law, an in various ancient law before that. Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 20 June 2022 To negate a woman’s right to reproductive self-government because it cannot be found in English common law is like arguing that fish aren’t real because they cannot be found in your bathtub. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 11 May 2022 The 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica gives the subject short shrift: common law is simply regional practice in various parts of the country. Marilynne Robinson, Harper’s Magazine , 20 July 2022 Unlike the American system of common law borrowed from the British, Germany uses civil law heavily influenced from Napoleonic reforms. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 19 July 2022 Gagnon is a graduate of McGill University with a degree in civil and common law, and holds a master’s degree in public administration and public policy from the London School of Economics. Karl Moore, Forbes, 28 June 2022 In its ruling Friday, the court also referred to the importance of English common law in Alabama law and the protections of private property in the Magna Carta. al, 29 June 2022 It is also embedded in English common law, under the general premise that charities and nonprofits such as churches do good in society. The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
Adjective
1619, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Legal Definition
common law 1 of 2
noun
: a body of law that is based on custom and general principles and embodied in case law and that serves as precedent or is applied to situations not covered by statute
the common law of torts
: as a
: the body of law that was first developed in the English courts of law as distinguished from equity and that allows for particular remedies (as damages or replevin)
in suits at common law…the right of trial by jury shall be preserved U.S. Constitution amend. VII
compare equity sense 2 U.S. Constitution amend. VII b
: the body of law developed in England that is the basis of U.S. federal law and of state law in all states except Louisiana compare civil law sense 2, statutory law
common-law
2 of 2adjective
1
: of, relating to, or based on the common law
common-law immunity
2
: relating to or based on a common-law marriage
her common-law husband