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cy pres

or cy·pres

[see prey]Law.
preposition
  1. as near as possible.
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noun
  1. the doctrine, applied especially to cases of charitable trusts or donations, that, in place of an impossible or illegal condition, limitation, or object, allows the nearest practicable one to be substituted.
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Origin of cy pres

1475–85; < Anglo-French: literally, as near (compare French si près)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for cypres

Historical Examples

  • To whom Saladine answered: we be marchaunts of Cypres trauailing to Paris, about our businesse.

    The Palace of Pleasure

    William Painter

British Dictionary definitions for cypres

cy pres

noun
  1. law the doctrine that the intention of a donor or testator should be carried out as closely as practicable when literal compliance is impossible
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Word Origin

C15: from Anglo-French, literally: as near (as possible, etc)
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