definitions

detinue

[ det-n-oo, -yoo ]
/ ˈdɛt nˌu, -ˈyu /
|

noun Law.

an old commonlaw form of action to recover possession of personal property wrongfully detained.

Nearby words

detestable, detestation, dethatch, dethrone, detick, detinue, detmold, detonate, detonation, detonator, detour

Origin of detinue

1425–75; late Middle English detenu < Anglo-French detenue, detinue detention, orig. feminine past participle of detenir to detain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for detinue

  • The use of the action of trover gradually supplants the action of detinue, which involves compurgation.

    Our Legal Heritage, 5th Ed.|S. A. Reilly

  • In the manor courts, actions of debt, detinue, and covenant were frequent.

    Our Legal Heritage, 5th Ed.|S. A. Reilly

  • Detinue, in law, the form of action whereby a plaintiff seeks to recover a chattel personal unlawfully detained.

    The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various

  • Detinue, the primitive remedy, retained that mark of primitive procedure.

    The Common Law|Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

British Dictionary definitions for detinue

detinue

/ (ˈdɛtɪˌnjuː) /

noun

law an action brought by a plaintiff to recover goods wrongfully detained

Word Origin for detinue

C15: from Old French detenue, from detenir to detain
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