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delict

[dih-likt]
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noun
  1. Law. a misdemeanor; offense.
  2. Roman and Civil Law. a civil wrong permitting compensation.
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Origin of delict

1515–25; < Latin dēlictum a fault, noun use of neuter of dēlictus (past participle of dēlinquere to do wrong; see delinquency), equivalent to dēlic- fail + -tus past participle suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for delict

malfeasance, immorality, infringement, infraction, dereliction, misdeed, wrongdoing, lawlessness, misconduct, atrocity, criminality, illegality, depravity, delinquency, transgression, case, violation, felony, misdemeanor, evil

Examples from the Web for delict

Historical Examples of delict

  • The words contravention, crime, and delict were of no value.

    Bouvard and Pcuchet, part 2

    Gustave Flaubert

  • The "natural" sources of liability were delict and contract.

  • We have written to our son touching our vassal's delict, and he must abide his doom, which will most likely be death.

    The Abbot

    Sir Walter Scott

  • Another point of Gregorian emphasis: no delict is remitted without punishment.

  • No delict is wiped out without penitence and punishment, in this life or afterwards—let it be in Purgatory and not in Hell!

British Dictionary definitions for delict

delict

noun
  1. law, mainly Scots law a wrongful act for which the person injured has the right to a civil remedySee also tort
  2. Roman law a civil wrong redressable by compensation or punitive damages
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Word Origin for delict

C16: from Latin dēlictum a fault, crime, from dēlinquere to fail, do wrong; see delinquency
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 delict

1520s, from Latin delictum "fault, offense, crime," neuter singular of past participle of delinquere (see delinquent). Phrase in flagrant delict translates Latin in flagrante delicto.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper