defeasible
Americanadjective
adjective
-
law (of an estate or interest in land) capable of being defeated or rendered void
-
philosophy (of a judgment, opinion, etc) having a presupposition in its favour but open to revision if countervailing evidence becomes known Compare incorrigible
Other Word Forms
- defeasibility noun
- defeasibleness noun
- nondefeasibility noun
- nondefeasible adjective
- nondefeasibleness noun
Etymology
Origin of defeasible
From the Anglo-French word defesible, dating back to 1580–90. See defeasance, -ible
Explanation
Something that's defeasible can be cancelled or changed. If a state law is defeasible, it's open to being annulled or declared void. You're most likely to come across the word defeasible in legal or philosophical writing. An attorney, for example, might help a client establish a defeasible estate — this means that property or land left in a will comes with certain conditions attached. If the inheritor doesn't meet the conditions, she could lose the inheritance. In general, a defeasible law or rule is subject to change, or has built-in exceptions: "No parking (except on Sundays)."
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.
Science—the research programme, the experimental method, the interlocking of pure science and new technology, the language of defeasible knowledge—was invented between 1571 and 1704.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Wotton’s ‘Tacit Reserve’, which is the principle that all scientific reasoning is defeasible, is of fundamental importance.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
It must be of a thing defeasible, and all the conditions must be strictly carried out before the defeasance can be consummated.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 10 "David, St" to "Demidov" by Various
It is defeasible now by the wife's will.—Cow.
From History of Woman Suffrage, Volume I by Stanton, Elizabeth Cady
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.
