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mens rea
[ menz-ree-uh ]
/ ˈmɛnz ˈri ə /
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noun Law.
a criminal intent.
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Origin of mens rea
First recorded in 1860–65, mens rea is from New Latin mēns rea
Words nearby mens rea
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use mens rea in a sentence
But there is a presumption which is not rebuttable with regard to the mens rea of the vessel.
International Law. A Treatise. Volume II (of 2)|Lassa Francis OppenheimBriefly, it may be said that in criminal law the constituent element of an offence is the mens rea or the guilty intent.
It is one of the earliest crimes in which the mens rea, or criminal intent, was taken special notice of.
British Dictionary definitions for mens rea
mens rea
/ (ˈmɛnz ˈreɪə) /
noun
law a criminal intention or knowledge that an act is wrong. It is assumed to be an ingredient of all criminal offences although some minor statutory offences are punishable irrespective of itCompare actus reus
Word Origin for mens rea
Latin, literally: guilty mind
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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