compos mentis

[kohm-pohs men-tis, kom-puhs men-tis]

adjective

Latin.

1. sane; mentally sound (used especially in a legal context).

compos mentis

/ ˈkɒmpəs ˈmɛntɪs /

adjective

1. (postpositive) of sound mind; sane

Word History and Origins

Origin of compos mentis¹

Literally, “being in full possession of one's mind”

Example Sentences

But prosecutors said he might not be “compos mentis,” or fully sane.

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“What she did was engage with veterans when they were still alive and compos mentis,” Hew Strachan, a noted British military historian, said in an interview.

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And a president who was compos mentis never would have made the nonsensical claim that the United States had more covid-19 cases than other countries only because we did more testing.

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"And I had a man standing over me with a flashlight until about 3am to make sure I was compos mentis."

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Talking among ourselves, we debated trying to force the issue by calling an ambulance if he fell, knowing that, for as long as he remained compos mentis, he had the right to refuse medical intervention.

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