champerty

American  

[cham-per-tee] / ˈtʃæm pər ti /

noun

Law.

1. a sharing in the proceeds of litigation by one who agrees with either the plaintiff or defendant to help promote it or carry it on.

---

champerty British  

/ ˈtʃæmpətɪ /

noun

1. law (formerly) an illegal bargain between a party to litigation and an outsider whereby the latter agrees to pay for the action and thereby share in any proceeds recovered See also maintenance

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• champertous
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of champerty

1300–50; Middle English champartie, equivalent to champart (< Middle French: share of the produce, literally, of the field, equivalent to champ field ( see camp ¹) + part share, see part) + -ie -y ³