Roman law

American  

noun

1. the system of jurisprudence elaborated by the ancient Romans, a strong and varied influence on the legal systems of many countries.

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Roman law British  

noun

1. the system of jurisprudence of ancient Rome, codified under Justinian and forming the basis of many modern legal systems

2. another term for civil law

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Etymology

Origin of Roman law

First recorded in 1650–60

Example Sentences

Roman law considered the unborn a “potential person.”

From Washington Post • Jun. 10, 2022

Under Roman law slaves were considered property and had no legal personhood.

From Reuters • Nov. 6, 2021

Justinian saw Roman law as an aspect of Roman unity, however, and sought to stamp out other forms of law under his jurisdiction.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

Roman law required that a baby be rescued from a dead mother’s womb.

From Salon • Apr. 30, 2019

He was trying to boil them down, from Customary, Canon and Roman law, into a single code which he hoped to call the Civil one.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White