body corporate

American  

noun

Law.

1. a person, association, or group of persons legally incorporated; corporation.

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body corporate British  

noun

1. law a group of persons incorporated to carry out a specific enterprise See corporation

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Etymology

Origin of body corporate

First recorded in 1490–1500

Example Sentences

The bishop is made a body corporate; has a common seal granted him, and is considered subordinate to the archbishop of Canterbury.

From Antigua and the Antiguans, Volume I (of 2) A full account of the colony and its inhabitants from the time of the Caribs to the present day by Anonymous

These usages are regarded not merely as protective measures for the body corporate, but they are also supposed to indicate a beneficial standard for the individual.

From A Psychiatric Milestone Bloomingdale Hospital Centenary, 1821-1921 by New York Hospital. Society

The county council is a body corporate with power to hold lands.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 4 "England" to "English Finance" by Various

The council is a body corporate, may hold land in mortmain, and can appoint committees for its own parish or jointly with any other parish council.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 4 "England" to "English Finance" by Various

The connecting medium may be a person, a body corporate, or a state.

From "Colony,"--or "Free State"? "Dependence,"--or "Just Connection"? "Empire,"--or "Union"? by Snow, Alpheus Henry