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

mensch, mense, menservants, menses, Menshevik, mens rea, men's room, mens sana in corpore sano, menstrual, menstrual cycle, menstrual extraction

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 Oppenheim
Briefly, it may be said that in criminal law the constituent element of an offence is the mens rea or the guilty intent.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 6|Various
It is one of the earliest crimes in which the mens rea, or criminal intent, was taken special notice of.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 6|Various

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012