common-law

[kom-uh n-law]

adjective

of, relating to, or established by common law: a common-law spouse.

Origin of common-law

First recorded in 1905–10

common law

noun

the system of law originating in England, as distinct from the civil or Roman law and the canon or ecclesiastical law.
the unwritten law, especially of England, based on custom or court decision, as distinct from statute law.
the law administered through the system of courts established for the purpose, as distinct from equity or admiralty.

Origin of common law

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for common-law

precedent

Examples from the Web for common-law

Contemporary Examples of common-law

Less canonically, “natural marriage” is also at times used as a rough synonym for “common-law marriage.”
What Is ‘Natural Marriage?’
Michelle Cottle
March 27, 2014
Single-parent, same-sex, and common-law families barely penetrated public consciousness, much less the Hebrew lexicon.
People-Powered Social Revolution in Israel Promotes Rights of Same-Sex Families
Irit Rosenblum
November 15, 2013
Common-law partnerships have their own independent authority and validity.
Israeli Attorney Suggests Common-Law Marriage As an Act of Civil Disobedience
Irit Rosenblum
November 8, 2013
Common-law partnership makes the couple, and not the government or religious institution, the authority in family life.
Israeli Attorney Suggests Common-Law Marriage As an Act of Civil Disobedience
Irit Rosenblum
November 8, 2013
Common-law partnership offers privacy and autonomy in a world of increasing intrusion and regulation.
Israeli Attorney Suggests Common-Law Marriage As an Act of Civil Disobedience
Irit Rosenblum
November 8, 2013

Historical Examples of common-law

Let me ask, Can the city by any means legalize a common-law misdemeanor?
Jersey Street and Jersey Lane
H. C. Bunner
I am a common-law barrister, and am rising in my profession.
The Strand Magazine, Volume VII, Issue 38, February 1894
Various
"That idea of a common-law marriage was clever," Groll said musing.
Max Fargus
Owen Johnson
Now, you understand, gentlemen, that there is no common-law jurisdiction of offences residing in the United States Courts.
Trial of the Officers and Crew of the Privateer Savannah, on the Charge of Piracy, in the United States Circuit Court for the Southern District of New York
A. F. Warburton
Douglas thought that the real question was the common-law marriage.
Children of the Market Place
Edgar Lee Masters

British Dictionary definitions for common-law

common law

noun

the body of law based on judicial decisions and custom, as distinct from statute law
the law of a state that is of general application, as distinct from regional customs
common-law (modifier) denoting a marriage deemed to exist after a couple have cohabited for several yearscommon-law marriage; common-law wife

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

Word Origin and History for common-law

common law

mid-14c., "the customary and unwritten laws of England as embodied in commentaries and old cases" (see common (adj.)), as opposed to statute law. Phrase common law marriage is attested from 1909.

common-law in Culture

common law

Law developed in the course of time from the rulings of judges, as opposed to law embodied in statutes passed by legislatures (statutory law) or law embodied in a written constitution (constitutional law). (See stare decisis.)

Note

The importance of common law is particularly stressed in the legal system of Britain, on which the legal system of the United States is based.