diriment

American  

[dir-uh-muhnt] / ˈdɪr ə mənt /

adjective

1. causing to become wholly void; nullifying.

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diriment British  

/ ˈdɪrɪmənt /

adjective

1. (of an impediment to marriage in canon law) totally invalidating

2. rare nullifying

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Etymology

Origin of diriment

1840–50; < Latin diriment-, stem of dirimēns, present participle of dirimere; see diremption

Example Sentences

Caius is going to the altar to be married; Claudius knows of a diriment impediment to the marriage, but cannot make it known without causing a scene and giving great scandal.

From Moral Theology A Complete Course Based on St. Thomas Aquinas and the Best Modern Authorities by Callan, Charles Jerome

When an Impediment Is Discovered after Marriage.—A diriment impediment or other invalidating defect is sometimes discovered after the celebration of marriage.

From Moral Theology A Complete Course Based on St. Thomas Aquinas and the Best Modern Authorities by Callan, Charles Jerome

The instruments used to render its strict theory ineffective are "diriment impediments" and "dispensations."

From A Short History of Women's Rights From the Days of Augustus to the Present Time. with Special Reference to England and the United States. Second Edition Revised, With Additions. by Hecker, Eugene Arthur

Example: In itself, it is not unlawful to make an informal will, but it is unlawful to marry with a diriment impediment.

From Moral Theology A Complete Course Based on St. Thomas Aquinas and the Best Modern Authorities by Callan, Charles Jerome

If an irritant clause is added, the prohibition has the force of a diriment impediment.

From Moral Theology A Complete Course Based on St. Thomas Aquinas and the Best Modern Authorities by Callan, Charles Jerome