gravamen

American  

[gruh-vey-muhn] / grəˈveɪ mən /

noun

Law.

plural

gravamina

1. the part of an accusation that weighs most heavily against the accused; the substantial part of a charge or complaint.

2. a grievance.

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gravamen British  

/ ɡrəˈveɪmɛn /

noun

1. law that part of an accusation weighing most heavily against an accused

2. law the substance or material grounds of a complaint

3. a rare word for grievance

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Etymology

Origin of gravamen

1595–1605; < Late Latin: trouble, physical inconvenience, equivalent to Latin gravā ( re ) to load, weigh down (derivative of gravis heavy, burdened) + -men noun suffix

Example Sentences

"They are a sovereign instrumentality of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a sitting minister of the Saudi government, and they cannot be compelled to provide testimony and documents in a US proceeding unless their conduct - not LIV's or anyone else's - is truly the 'gravamen' of the case."

From BBC

If they cannot, they will be expected to submit a gravamen to the Professional Status Committee and the Board of Trustees before they are hired.

From Washington Post

“If the People’s view is that Mr. Sanders is not a thief,” writes Antonia Apps, Kosinski’s attorney, in her filing, “the Court should dismiss the Indictment in its entirety, because the gravamen of the crime of criminal possession of stolen property is that the property being possessed was in fact stolen.”

From Los Angeles Times

"The gravamen of the claimed wrongdoing is that the Laundries exercised their constitutional rights and essentially made no statements to Plaintiffs or law enforcement," the motion states.

From Fox News

In 2016, a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles County said prosecutors and the Los Angeles Police Department were unified in believing that “the seriousness and the gravamen of the crimes committed by this prisoner are too abhorrent to justify his release.”

From New York Times