estoppel

[ e-stop-uh l ]

/ ɛˈstɒp əl /

noun Law.

a bar or impediment preventing a party from asserting a fact or a claim inconsistent with a position that party previously took, either by conduct or words, especially where a representation has been relied or acted upon by others.

Nearby words

Origin of estoppel

First recorded in 1575–85, estoppel is from the Middle French word estoupail stopper. See estop, -al²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for estoppel

To create a corporation by estoppel, there must be an organization assuming to act as a corporation.
Cyclopedia of Commerce, Accountancy, Business Administration, v. 3|Various
Peter stood in the sunshine, looking at the estoppel clause, his lips agape.
Birthright|T.S. Stribling
The question relating to estoppel, is thus stated there in abstract terms.
Ten Thousand a-Year (Vol. 2)|Samuel Warren
Ultimately, very specific human emotions are affected by the rule of the corpus delicti, or the rule governing pleas in estoppel.
The Value of Money|Benjamin M. Anderson, Jr.

In the latter statement the members of the Oregon Milling Company, who signed the petition, stated an estoppel to themselves.
Dr. John McLoughlin, the Father of Oregon|Frederick Van Voorhies Holman

British Dictionary definitions for estoppel

estoppel

/ (ɪˈstɒpəl) /

noun

law a rule of evidence whereby a person is precluded from denying the truth of a statement of facts he has previously assertedSee also conclusion

Word Origin for estoppel

C16: from Old French estoupail plug, from estoper to stop up; see estop

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 estoppel

estoppel

1530s, from Old French estopail, literally "bung, cork," from estoper (see estop).