body corporate

American  

noun

Law.

1. a person, association, or group of persons legally incorporated; corporation.

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body corporate British  

noun

1. law a group of persons incorporated to carry out a specific enterprise See corporation

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Etymology

Origin of body corporate

First recorded in 1490–1500

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

body corporate

The king's household has not only several strong traces of this feudality, but it is formed also upon the principles of a body corporate: it has its own magistrates, courts, and by-laws.

From The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 02 (of 12) by Burke, Edmund

These usages are regarded not merely as protective measures for the body corporate, but they are also supposed to indicate a beneficial standard for the individual.

From A Psychiatric Milestone Bloomingdale Hospital Centenary, 1821-1921 by New York Hospital. Society

A body corporate, with the infection of passion, may perform acts of injustice equally with the individual who abuses the power with which he is invested.

From Curiosities of Literature, Vol. 3 by Disraeli, Isaac

William Turges, the King’s Chaplain, was the first Master, and “the body corporate was to be called ‘The Master and Chaplains of the Hospital of St Bartholomew in West Smithfield, near London.’” 

From Springtime and Other Essays by Darwin, Francis, Sir

If a library receives endowments, money gifts or legacies, they are held and administered by the trustees as a body corporate, the same as the funds annually appropriated for library maintenance and increase.

From A Book for All Readers An Aid to the Collection, Use, and Preservation of Books and the Formation of Public and Private Libraries by Spofford, Ainsworth Rand