trover

American  

[troh-ver] / ˈtroʊ vər /

noun

Law.

1. an action for the recovery of the value of personal property that another person wrongfully converted to their own use.

---

trover British  

/ ˈtrəʊvə /

noun

1. law (formerly) the act of wrongfully assuming proprietary rights over personal goods or property belonging to another

---

Etymology

Origin of trover

First recorded in 1585–95; from Middle French, Old French: “to find,” probably from unattested Vulgar Latin tropāre “to compose, invent,” derivative of Latin tropus trope; cf. contrive

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trover

So if the end of the world has happened, you have a trover of information to help you rebuild a post-apocalyptic society.

From Slate ● Mar. 21, 2022

Other lawyers said that at the worst it was a civil offense, or trover, or trespass, or wilful negligence, or embezzlement, or conversion, but that the remedy was by civil process.

From Nye and Riley's Wit and Humor (Poems and Yarns) by Bill Nye

In trover, for an indenture whereby A granted a manor, it is no plea that A did not grant the manor, for it does not answer the declaration except by argument.

From Report of the Decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, and the Opinions of the Judges Thereof, in the Case of Dred Scott versus John F.A. Sandford December Term, 1856. by Benjamin C. Howard

The declaration was trover for the books of record, original charter, common seal, and other corporate property of the College.

From The Great Speeches and Orations of Daniel Webster With an Essay on Daniel Webster as a Master of English Style by Daniel Webster

The civil suit of trespass on the case has now branched into assumpsit, trover, deceit, negligence, and libel and slander.

From Our Legal Heritage, 5th Ed. by S. A. Reilly