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next friend

noun Law.
  1. a person other than a duly appointed guardian who acts on behalf of an infant or other person not fully qualified by law to act on his or her own behalf.
Compare guardian ad litem.

Origin of next friend

before 900; Middle English; Old English
Also called prochein ami.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for next friend

next friend

noun
  1. law (formerly) a person acting on behalf of an infant or other person under legal disabilityOfficial name: litigation friend
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