civil law
Americannoun
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the body of laws of a state or nation regulating ordinary private matters, as distinct from laws regulating criminal, political, or military matters.
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Roman History. the body of law proper to the city or state of Rome, as distinct from that common to all nations.
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systems of law influenced significantly and in various ways by Roman law, especially as contained in the Corpus Juris Civilis, as distinct from the common law and canon or ecclesiastical law.
noun
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the law of a state relating to private and civilian affairs
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the body of law in force in ancient Rome, esp the law applicable to private citizens
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any system of law based on the Roman system as distinguished from the common law and canon law
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the law of a state as distinguished from international law
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of civil law
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Justice Horace Gray didn’t say that “jurisdiction” means being subject to ordinary criminal or civil law, as opponents of the president’s order maintain.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
Salmond was suing the government for misfeasance - a civil law term that means the wrongful exercise of lawful authority - when he died in October 2024 while attending a conference in North Macedonia.
From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026
Grocery titan Albertsons will pay $3.9 million to resolve a civil law enforcement complaint alleging that it ripped off customers at hundreds of its Vons, Safeway and Albertsons stores in California, authorities said Thursday.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2024
But in practice, they are treated according to the civil law of the State of Israel, which formally applies only to territory within the state’s borders.
From New York Times • May 16, 2024
Some aspects of Islamic law are observed in Iran's legal system, but today the country mostly operates under civil law, ratified by the parliament.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
