detinue

American  

[det-n-oo, -yoo] / ˈdɛt nˌu, -ˈju /

noun

Law.

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

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detinue British  

/ ˈdɛtɪˌnjuː /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of detinue

1425–75; late Middle English detenu < Anglo-French detenue, detinue detention, originally feminine past participle of detenir to detain

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

detinue

Trover gradually supplants detinue, in which there is compurgation.

From Our Legal Heritage : 600-1776 King Aethelbert - King George III by S. A. Reilly

The action of trover differs from detinue inasmuch as the party claims damages, not the recovery of the identical goods and chattels.

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 58, No. 359, September 1845 by Various

The action of detinue lies where the party claims the specific recovery of goods and chattels, or deeds and writings detained from him.

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 58, No. 359, September 1845 by Various

The Chancellor took jurisdiction of cases of debt, detinue, and account which had been decided in other courts with oathhelping by the defendant.

From Our Legal Heritage by S. A. Reilly

The declaration in detinue per inventionem was called "un newfound Haliday" in Y.B.

From The Common Law by Oliver Wendell Holmes