civil law

noun

often capitalized C&L
1
: Roman law especially as set forth in the Justinian code
2
: the body of private law developed from Roman law and used in Louisiana and in many countries outside the English-speaking world
3
: the law established by a nation or state for its own jurisdiction
4
: the law of civil or private rights

Examples of civil law in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Supporters said the measure would bring civil law in line with existing state criminal law that allows for additional penalties against people charged with harming a pregnant woman. Lori Rozsa, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024 First, it should be duly understood that the country operates under a civil law system influenced by Sharia principles. Radu Magdin, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Moffatt’s back-and-forth with Air Canada continued and eventually ended up in the Civil Resolution Tribunal, also known as the CRT, a quasi-judicial tribunal in the British Columbia public justice system that deals with civil law disputes like small claims. Jody Serrano / Gizmodo, Quartz, 16 Feb. 2024 Criminal law, unlike civil law, is less likely to hold defendants liable for the actions of a third party, even if that third party is the defendant’s child. Thaddeus Hoffmeister, The Conversation, 6 Feb. 2024 The drafters viewed the provision as an additional, civil law consequence of engaging in insurrection, separate from other legal punishments. Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Feb. 2024 The multi-ethnic, multi-faith country has a dual-track legal system with Islamic laws for Muslims running alongside civil laws. Reuters, NBC News, 21 Aug. 2023 Federal law provides broad immunity to gun makers from tort litigation, or civil law complaints. Michael Steinberger, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023 Jason Cantrell was a lawyer who specialized in criminal defense, civil law, and family law. Doc Louallen, USA TODAY, 14 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'civil law.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1500, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of civil law was circa 1500

Dictionary Entries Near civil law

Cite this Entry

“Civil law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20law. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Legal Definition

civil law

noun
often capitalized C&L
1
: Roman law especially as set forth in the Code of Justinian
2
: the body of law developed from Roman law and used in Louisiana, in continental Europe, and in many other countries outside of the English-speaking world including especially those that were colonized by countries of continental Europe compare common law

Note: Although Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. whose law is based entirely on civil law, remnants of civil law remain in other states (as Texas and California) in which countries of continental Europe had a strong influence.

3
: the law established by a nation or state for its own jurisdiction
4
: the law that applies to private rights especially as opposed to the law that applies to criminal matters compare criminal law

More from Merriam-Webster on civil law

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