Legal Dictionary of Pakistan
Quick lookup for English, Urdu, and Latin legal terms used in Pakistani jurisprudence.
Demeanor
Outward appearance or behavior, such as facial expressions, tone of voice, gestures, and the hesitation or readiness to answer questions. ( In evaluating a witness's credibility, the jury may consider the witness's demeanor.
Mean
adj. 1. Of or relating to an intermediate point between two points or extremes <a mean position>. 2. Medium in size <a mean height>. 3. (Of a value, etc.) average <a mean score >.
Meaning
The sense of anything, but esp. of words; that which is conveyed (or intended to be conveyed) by a written or oral statement or other communicative act.
Means
n. 1. Available resources, esp. for the payment of debt; income. 2. Something that helps to attain an end; an instrument; a cause.
Misdemeanor
1. A crime that is less serious than a felony and is usu. punishable by fine, penalty, forfeiture, or confinement (usu. for a brief term) in a place other than prison (such as a county jail). - Also termed minor crime; summary offense. Cf. FELONY. "'Misdemeanor' was the label ultimately adopted to apply to all offenses other than treason or felony. The term included a wide variety of wrongs and misprisions. Many of the substantive legal principles and procedures applicable to felonies were not applied in the case of misdemeanors. The difference in treatment between felo vies and misdemeanors has carried over from common law to current practice, and today misdemeanors are often treated differently than felonies [in] the procedures employed in trying such cases as well as [in] the consequences of a conviction. The traditional distinction between felonies and misdemeanors has been abolished in England." Rollin M. Perkins & Ronald N. Boyce, Criminal Law 15 (3d ed. 1982).
alternative-means doctrine
criminal law. the principle that, when a crime may be committed in more than one way, jury unanimity is required on the defendant's guilt, but is not required on the possible different methods of committing the crime, as long as each possible method is supported by substantial evidence.
demeanor evidence
The behavior of a witness on the witness stand, to be considered by the fact-finder on the issue of credibility.
gross misdemeanor
A serious misdemeanor, though not a felony.
gross misdemeanor.
See MISDEMEANOR.
least-intrusive-means doctrine
A doctrine requiring the government to exhaust all other investigatory power before seeking sensitive testimony, as by compelling an attorney to testify before a grand jury on matters that may be considered protected by the attorney-client privilege.
least-restrictive-means test
The rule that a law or governmental regulation, even when based on a legitimate governmental interest, should be crafted in a way that will protect individual civil liberties as much as possible, and should be only as restrictive as is necessary to accomplish a legitimate governmental purpose.
mean high tide
The average of all high tides, esp. over a period of 18.6 years. - Also termed ordinary high tide.
mean low tide
See TIDE.
mean lower low tide
The average of lower low tides over a fixed period.
mean reserve
In insurance, the average of the beginning reserve (after the premium has been paid for the policy year) and the ending reserve of the policy year.
mean trading price
Securities. The average of the daily trading price of a security determined at the close of the market each day during a 90-day period.
meander line
A survey line (not a boundary line) on a portion of land, usu. following the course of a river or stream.
means-plus-function clause
Patent law. An element in a patent claim, usu. in a claim for a combination patent, asserting that the design is a way to perform a given function or is a step in the process of performing a given function. ( The claim will be interpreted as including the structure or means stated in the patent, and reasonable equivalents, but not all possible means of achieving the same function. 35 USCA ยง 112. See combination patent under PATENT.
misdemeanant
n. A person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor.
misdemeanor in office.
See official misconduct under MISCONDUCT.
misdemeanor-manslaughter rule.
The doctrine that a death occurring during the commission of a misdemeanor (or sometimes a nondangerous felony) is involuntary manslaughter. Many states and the Model Penal Code have abolished this rule. Cf. FELONY-MURDER RULE "Companion to the felony-murder rule is the so-called misdemeanor-manslaughter rule[:J ... Homicide resulting from the perpetration or attempted perpetration of an unlawful act, less than a dangerous felony, is manslaughter if the unlawful act is malum in se." Rollin M. Perkins & Ronald N. Boyce, Criminal Law 108 (3d ed. 1982).
objective meaning
See MEANING.
ordinary meaning
See plain meaning under MEANING.
ordinary-meaning rule
See PLAIN-MEANING RULE.
plain meaning
See MEANING.
plain-meaning rule
The rule that if a writing, or a provision in a writing, appears to be unambiguous on its face, its meaning must be determined from the writing itself without resort to any extrinsic evidence. ( Though often applied, this rule is often condemned as simplistic because the meaning of words varies with the verbal context and the surrounding circumstances, not to mention the linguistic ability of the users and readers (including judges). -Also termed ordinary-meaning rule. Cf. GOLDEN RULE; MISCHIEF RULE; EQUITY-OF-THE STATUTE RULE. "On its positive side, the plain meaning rule states a tautology: Words should be read as saying what they say. The rule tells us to respect meaning but it does so without disclosing what the specific meaning is. At best, it reaffirms the preeminence of the statute over materials extrinsic to it. In its negative aspect, on the other hand, the rule has sometimes been used to read ineptly expressed language out of its proper context, in violation of established principles of meaning and communication. To this extent it is an impediment to interpretation." Reed Dickerson, The Interpretation and Application of Statutes 229 (1975).
secondary meaning
Intellectual property. A special sense that a trademark or tradename for a business, goods, or services has acquired even though the trademark or tradename was not originally protectable. - Also termed special meaning; trade meaning. secondary mortgage market See MORTGAGE MARKET.
special meaning
See SECONDARY MEANING.
subjective meaning
The meaning that one party to a legal document attributes to it when the document is written, executed, or otherwise adopted.
trade meaning
See SECONDARY MEANING.
treasonable misdemeanor
See TREASONABLE MISDEMEANOR. 2. Archaic. Any crime, including a felony. "A crime, or misdemeanor, is an act committed, or omitted, in violation of a public law, either forbidding or commanding it. This general definition comprehends both crimes and misdemeanors; which, properly speaking, are mere synonymous terms: though, in common usage, the word, 'crimes,' is made to denote such offences as are of a deeper and more atrocious dye; while smaller faults, and omissions of less consequence, are comprised under the gentler names of 'misdemeanors' only." 4 William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England 5 (1769).
visible means of support
An apparent method of earning a livelihood. ( Vagrancy statutes have long used this phrase to describe those who have no ostensible ability to support themselves.
ways-and-means committee
A legislative committee that determines how money will be raised for various governmental purposes.