CR CVR: F List

All vocab words starting with F: mix of law, medical, court reporting, business, etc.

Facetious

treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant; glib

Facsimile

exact copy or reproduction of a source document; commonly abbreviated as “fax”; Latin for “make alike”

Factitious

artificially created or developed rather than genuine; invented; fake

Factoring

financial transaction where a company sells its outstanding, unpaid customer invoices (accounts receivable) to a third-party at a discount to gain immediate working capital

Facts Not in Evidence

legal objection raised during a trial when an attorney asks a witness a question that assumes an unproven or unintroduced fact is true; prevents lawyers from sneaking unsworn, hypothetical, or fabricated information into the record as though it were established truth

Faint

lose consciousness

Fair

average; lovely

Fait Accompli

something that has already been decided or done before those affected by it can intervene, making it impossible to change; deed or thing already completed; accomplished fact

Fallacious

based on a mistaken belief; erroneous; untrue

Fallacy

misconception; misbelief; failure in reasoning

False Pretenses

crime of knowingly making untrue statements for the purpose of obtaining money or property fraudulently

Fare

charge for transportation

Farther

greater distance

Farthing

former coin of the UK equal to a quarter of an old penny; figuratively, the least possible amount

Fasciculated

clustered together or occurring in bundles

Fasciitis

inflammation of a fascia, a band of fibrous tissue that lies deep under the skin

Fastidious

very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail; scrupulous; punctilious; meticulous

Fatuous

silly; foolish; stupid

Faux

artificial, fake, or imitation

Faux Pas

embarrassing, tactless, or unintentional social mistake

Faze

disturb, disconcert; daunt

Federal

national government of a federation and the laws, courts, and agencies enacted by that central authority, acting under constitutional powers

Federal Law

body of law created by a national government, such as the U.S. Congress, that applies uniformly throughout the entire country; derived from the Constitution, takes precedence over conflicting state laws via the Supremacy Clause, and covers national issues

Federal Rule 30

portion of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure which defines matters pertinent to the taking of depositions; many states pattern their rules pertaining to depositions after this

Fee Simple

highest, most complete form of real estate ownership, granting the owner absolute, unrestricted rights to land and any structures on it indefinitely; allows owners to sell, lease, mortgage, or transfer the property, and it can be inherited by heirs; also called Fee Title and In Fee

Fee Title

highest, most complete form of real estate ownership, granting the owner absolute, unrestricted rights to land and any structures on it indefinitely; allows owners to sell, lease, mortgage, or transfer the property, and it can be inherited by heirs; also called Fee Simple and In Fee

Feign

fake; simulate; play at

Feint

deceptive, distracting, or pretended blow, thrust, or other movement, especially in boxing or fencing; ruled paper printed with very light, thin horizontal lines designed as a guide for handwriting

Felony

most serious classification of crime, generally defined as an offense punishable by death or imprisonment for a term exceeding one year in state or federal prison; often involves significant violence, high-value theft, or severe harm, and carry long-term consequences including large fines, loss of rights, and permanent criminal records

Feme Sole

single woman who has never married, is widowed, or is divorced

Femme Fatale

seductive, alluring woman who uses her charm to lead men into dangerous, compromising, or disastrous situations

Femur

longest, strongest, and heaviest bone in the human body, extending from the hip to the knee in the thigh

Fiance

engaged man

Fiancee

engaged woman

Fibrillation

small, local, involuntary contraction of muscle

Fibrosis

formation of fibrous tissue

Fibula

smaller, outer bone of the two bones in the lower leg, running parallel to the tibia from the knee to the ankle

Fidelity

faithfulness, loyalty, and trustworthiness; in business, often in the context of employee reliability, customer brand loyalty, or the accuracy and precision of data and systems, and signifies a commitment to ethical conduct, accuracy in reporting, and the faithful representation of, for example, financial data

Fiduciary

broad term for one who has a trust to perform, such as trustees, guardians, and agents; person or entity legally obligated to act in another party's best interest, prioritizing the beneficiary's welfare over their own in financial or legal matters; defined by duties of loyalty, care, and good faith, often acting as trustees, executors, financial advisors, or agents under power of attorney

Final

last; concluding; decider

Finding

judge’s determination regarding how specific legal rules apply to the facts of a case; court's formal ruling on legal questions, such as interpreting statutes or applying constitutional doctrines

Findings of Fact

specific determinations made by a judge, jury, or administrative body regarding the truth or falsity of disputed facts in a legal case, based on the evidence presented; resolve conflicts in testimony or evidence and form the foundation for the final legal judgment; given high deference, only overturned on appeal if "clearly erroneous"

Finicky

fussy about one's needs or requirements; fastidious; picky

First Impression

legal case that presents a new, novel question of law that has never before been decided by the governing jurisdiction's courts; because no controlling precedent exists, judges must rely on their own logic, legal scholarship, and persuasive, non-binding authority from other jurisdictions

First-In, First-Out (FIFO)

accounting and tax methodology where the oldest inventory or assets are assumed to be sold or used first

Fiscal Year

consecutive 12-month period used by governments and businesses for accounting, budgeting, and financial reporting, which may not align with the calendar year; enables organizations to align financial cycles with operational peaks and is crucial for tax compliance

Fishing Expedition

loose, scattered questioning of a witness that goes beyond the scope of the lawsuit; attorney is grasping for anything and everything that may or may not bring about damaging information; objectionable

Flaccid

soft; limp; ineffective

Flair

natural talent, style, or panache

Flare

burst of flame or light; spreading outward shape; sudden outburst

Floor Plan Financing

specialized, asset-based lending line of credit used by retailers to purchase high-cost inventory, paying back the loan as items are sold

Flotsam

wreckage of a ship or its cargo that is found floating on the sea; worthless

Foment

instigate; incite; provoke

Foramen Magnum

large opening at the base of the occipital bone in the skull that acts as the primary passageway connecting the brainstem to the spinal cord

Foramenotomy

operation of removing the roof of the intervertebral foramina for the relief of nerve root compression

Foramina

natural openings, holes, or perforations in anatomical structures

Forbearance

intentional, voluntary act of refraining from enforcing a legal right, claim, or debt, often granting a debtor temporary relief; creditor agrees to delay legal action for a specific period, allowing the debtor time to remedy a default, such as in mortgage or loan agreements

Force Majeure

unavoidable, uncontrollable event that prevents parties from fulfilling a contract; including this as a clause in an agreement legally excuses both sides from their obligations without penalty

Foreclosure

action to take possession of mortgaged property and to collect for amounts still due and owing thereon when the conditions set forth in the mortgage have not been met; legal process where a lender seizes and sells a person’s or business’s property or collateral after the borrower defaults on loan payments; enables lenders to recover outstanding debt through judicial (court-ordered) or non-judicial (power of sale) procedures, resulting in the loss of ownership for the property or business

Forego

precede in place or time

Foreman

worker who supervises and directs other workers

Foreperson

juror selected to lead jury deliberations and act as the primary spokesperson for the jury in court; responsible for organizing discussions, ensuring all jurors participate, and signing/delivering the final verdict; Presiding Juror

Foreword

preface to book

Forgery

falsely making, changing, or imitating a document, signature, or object with the intent to trick or defraud someone; the fake item itself

Forgo

do without; go without; refrain from

Form of the Question

formal objection made by the opposing attorney in response to a leading and suggestive question asked to the witness by the questioning attorney

Formally

conventionally, ceremonially

Formerly

previously

Forth

forward

Fortitude

courage in pain or adversity; bravery; strength

Fortuitous

happening providentially or accident, often resulting in a beneficial or fortunate outcome

Forward

in front; to send, promote

Foul

offensive

Founder

fill with water and sink; fail utterly and often rapidly; collapse

Fourth

number after third

Fowl

types of birds

Fracas

noisy disturbance; quarrel; scuffle

Franchise

business model where an owner licenses another party the right to use its brand, operating system, and intellectual property for a fee; allows the franchisee to run a standardized business, often in a specific territory, while receiving ongoing support, training, and marketing

Franchisee

individual or entity granted a license to operate a business using the brand, products, and operational systems of a franchisor; independent business owners who pay initial fees and ongoing royalties in exchange for rights to use a proven business model, trademark, and support

Franchisor

established business owner that owns a brand, trademark, and operating system, granting another individual or entity the legal right to operate their own businesses using that brand; provides training, support, and marketing in exchange for initial fees and ongoing royalties

Fraud

intentional deception, misrepresentation, or concealment of material facts intended to trick another party for purposes of persuading them to part with something of value, resulting in financial loss, damage, or unauthorized benefit to the perpetrator

Freelance Reporter

self-employed reporter or one who works for an agency to report depositions and other proceedings as a subcontractor

Frenetic

frenzied; fast, energetic, and highly active, but in a wild, disorganized, or uncontrolled way

Frontal Bone

single, shell-shaped cranial bone that forms the forehead, the superior portion of the eye sockets (orbits), and the roof of the nasal cavity

Frontoparietal Suture

dense, fibrous connective tissue joint that connects the frontal bone to the two parietal bones of the skull, running in a crown-like fashion from ear to ear; allows for skull expansion during brain growth and closes by age 24; Coronal Suture

Fundus

bottom or base of anything (e.g., uterus, eye)

Furnish

supply, provide, or give someone something necessary or essential, such as information, documents, or resources

Further

additional; to promote

Further Recross-Examination

third cross-examination of a witness by the opposing party after a further redirect examination; allowed only at the judge's discretion to address new matters raised during further redirect examination

Further Redirect

third direct examination of a witness conducted by the attorney who originally called them, occurring immediately after recross-examination; allowed only at the judge's discretion to address new matters raised during recross-examination

Furtive

secretive; surreptitious; clandestine

Futility

uselessness; serving no practical purpose; having no chance of success