A
Ab antique- of old; of an ancient date.
Ab initio- from the very beginning.
Ab intra- from inside; within.
Ab extra- from outside.
Actus reas- a guilty act.
Ad hoc- formed for a particular purpose.
Ad idem- to the same point or matter; of the same mind.
Ad infinitum- to an indefinite extent.
Ad informandum judicis- for the judge’s information.
Ad rerferendum- subject to reference.
Ad valorem- according to the value.
Alieni juris- of another’s right.
Aliunde- from elsewhere.
Alieno solo- in another’s land.
Alibi- a claim or piece of evidence that one was elsewhere when an act is alleged to have taken place.
Amicus curiae- friend of the court.
Animus- intention.
Ante- before.
Audi alteram partem- hear the other side or no man should be condemned unheard.
B
Beneficium ordinis- privilege of order.
Bona fide- in good faith.
Bona vacantia- empty goods.
C
Caveat- may he beware
Caveat emptor- let the buyer beware.
Caveat venditor- let the seller beware.
Certiorari- to be informed.
Compos mentis- possessed of mind.
Cor (coram)- in the presence of the people.
Corpus juris- body of law.
Corpus juris civilis- body of civil law.
Corpus delicti- body of the crime.
Custodia legis- in the custody of the law; the taking seizing or holding of something by lawful authority.
D
Damnum sine injuria- damage without violation of legal rights.
De bene esse- of well-being.
De facto- in fact or in reality.
De jure- of the law.
De novo- Anew.
Detenu- a person held in custody’ a detainee.
De lege ferenda- of (or concerning) the law that is to come into force.
De lege lata- of (or concerning) the law that is in force.
De minimis (non curat lex)- the law is not concerned with trivial matters.
Dictum- a saying.
Dissentiente- differing in opinion.
Doli (in) capax- (in) capable of wrong.
E
En banc- as a full bench.
Erratum- an error in printing or writing.
Ex parte- outside the awareness of the party; for one party only.
Ex gratia- out of grace; as a matter of grace, favor.
Ex officio- by virtue of holding an office.
Ex post facto- after the fact.
F
Fati accompli- a false stand, a mistake.
Force majeure- an event that no human foresight could have anticipate or which, if anticipated, is too strong to be controlled.
H
Habeas corpus- you have the body.
I
Ibid- in the same place.
Ignorantia juris non excusat-
In camera- In a chamber.
In curia- a court of justice.
In limine- at the beginning or on the threshold.
In personam— against the person.
In re- in the matter of.
In rem- a right or judgement related to the use or ownership of an item of property.
Inter alia- among the other things.
In situ- in its place.
Intra- in; near; within.
Intra vires- within the powers.
Ultra vires- beyond the powers.
Inter vivos- among the living.
Ipso facto- by the very fact or act.
Injuria sine damnum- injury without damage.
L
Litigant- a party to a lawsuit in a court.
Locus in quo- the place in which.
M
Mens rea- a guilty mind.
N
Non est factum (suum)- it is not my deed.
O
Obiter dictum- things said by the way; additional observations, remarks.
Onus (probandi)- load or burden.
P
Pari passu- with equal step.
Per- ‘though, by means of’
Per curium (per. cur.)- by the court.
Per incurium- though lack of care.
Per se- by itself.
Post- subsequent to; after.
Prima facie- at first look.
Q
Quasi- as if, almost.
Qui facet per alium facit per se- he who acts through another, acts through himself.
R
Ratio decidendi- the reason for deciding.
Res judicata- a matter that has been decided.
Res ipsa loquitor- the things speak for itself.
S
Sic- so, thus.
Sine die- without fixing a day.
Stare decisis- to stand by decided matters.
Sub judice- in the course of trail.
Sui generis- of its own kind.
Suo moto- on its own motion.
Sine qua non- without which it could not be, an indispensable action or condition.
Status quo- to the existing state of affairs or circumstances.
U
Ultra vires- beyond the powers.
V
Vice versa- on the contrary.
Volenti non fit injuria- to one who is willing or consents for it, no harm is done.
Viva voce- by voice.
This information has been compiled by Soumya Shefali Chandrakar, a first-year law student of Hidayatullah National Law University