Latin terms 1.2

ad hoc

for this purpose only

ab ovo

from the egg; at the beginning; from the start

ad curiam

to the court; at court

ad infinitum

to infinity; without limit; indefinitely

ad litem

to the suit; for the purposes of a lawsuit; pending a lawsuit

ad nauseam

to the point of inducing nausea (NOT spelled nauseum)

ad testificandum

for testifying; subpoena to appear in court and testify

alter ego

another self; also the doctrine preventing a corporation from being used as a sham to shield shareholders from personal liability

amicus curiae / amici curiae

friend of the court; third party filing a brief supporting a specific position

ante litem

before trial

arguendo

arguing for the sake of argument; assuming hypothetically

bona fide

in good faith; open; sincere

caveat

beware; warning

caveat emptor

let the buyer beware

caveat venditor

let the seller beware

certiorari

to be informed of; writ from a higher court ordering a lower‑court transcript for review

chattel

movable personal property; originally "cattle"

compos mentis

sane; of sound mind

corpus / corpus juris

(1) corpus — body; any set of materials; total assets in an estate or trust (2) corpus juris — body of law

corpus delicti

body of the crime; the object upon which a crime has been committed

culpa

fault; negligence

cum laude

with praise; academic honor

curriculum vitae (CV)

course of life; résumé of career, qualifications, and professional history

de facto

in fact; actual; real in fact

de jure

in law; legal; proper; legitimate

de juris

of the law

de minimis

of only a tiny amount; trivial; inconsequential

demurrer

defendant's assertion that plaintiff's complaint is insufficient or does not state a cause of action

de novo

anew; afresh; a new or second hearing; to hear a case from the beginning

dictum / dicta

comments in a published opinion not directly related to the case's facts; illustrate the court's thinking; not precedent

duces tecum

bring with you; subpoena requiring production of items of evidence such as documents