scienter

[ sahy-en-ter ]

noun

, Law.

1. a mental state in which one has knowledge that one’s action, statement, etc., is wrong, deceptive, or illegal: often used as a standard of guilt:

   The court found that the company had the requisite scienter for securities fraud.

adverb

, Law.

1. knowingly or deliberately:

   His wife’s statements were made scienter.

scienter

/ saɪˈɛntə /

adverb

1. law knowingly; wilfully

Word History and Origins

Origin of scienter¹

First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin scienter “knowingly, consciously, skillfully, expertly,” from scient- (stem of sciēns ); science

Word History and Origins

Origin of scienter¹

from Latin