corespondent

[koh-ri-spon-duh nt]

noun Law.

a joint defendant, charged along with the respondent, especially a person charged with adultery in a divorce proceeding.

Origin of corespondent

First recorded in 1855–60; co- + respondent

Can be confusedcorespondent correspondent

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for co-respondent

The co-respondent in the case will not refute the charge against him,—and I, the plaintiff, must win my just cause.
Thelma|Marie Corelli
The party with whom a husband alleges his wife has committed adultery is called the co-respondent.
Marriage and Divorce Laws of the World|Hyacinthe Ringrose
And she saw there as co-respondent her son, older, changed in face, but more altered in expression.
A Book of Ghosts|Sabine Baring-Gould
As you remarked, a divorced wife can run soup-kitchens and in the same way a co-respondent can write articles and go to concerts.
Adrienne Toner|Anne Douglas Sedgwick

Choate's—co-respondent—made out a bill for $500 for his services, so called.
Mark Twain's Speeches|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

British Dictionary definitions for co-respondent

co-respondent

noun

law a person cited in divorce proceedings, who is alleged to have committed adultery with the respondent

Derived Formsco-respondency, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012