Includes 7,000 entries for the legal terms most likely to be encountered in every day situations: drafting a will, signing a contract, entering into litigation, and more. Quotes and examples of words are used in context to demonstrate usage.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
To the ordinary person, who hasn't spent three years grinding through law school, legalese gets its point across as clearly and effortlessly as a dose of ancient Greek. Right up there with medical lingo, legal jargon confuses and alienates folks, makes them feel stupid and ill at ease. A translation or two, however, can go a long way toward clearing the legal air. With concise and sensible definitions, Merriam Webster's Dictionary of Law converts a lease, will, or summons into standard English, and removes the intimidation factor from what is, basically, an effort at reliable communication. Been wondering about tortfeasors and arrears, peculation and naked promises, John Doe summonses and Terry stops? From ABA (American Bar Association) to Zone of Privacy ("an area or aspect of life that is held to be protected from intrusion by a specific constitutional guarantee"), the dictionary defines and explains 10,000 legal terms, allowing a ready grasp of laws, statutes, and legal procedures to anyone who knows how to crack open a dictionary.
Despite the title, the book is more than a mere dictionary. There's a chapter explaining the United States judicial system, a chapter discussing important legal cases, and another summarizing important laws. There's also a section on important legal agencies in the U.S., followed by the full Constitution of the United States, making this a useful family legal reference, adding clarity to news reports, assisting with homework assignments, simplifying potentially scary legal actions, and making government agencies, civil rights, and legal options less daunting and more accessible. --Stephanie Gold
About the Author
The Merriam brothers desired a continuity of editorship that would link Noah Webster's efforts with their own editions, so they selected Chauncey A. Goodrich, Webster's son-in-law and literary heir, who had been trained in lexicography by Webster himself, to be their editor in chief. Webster's son William also served as an editor of that first Merriam-Webster dictionary, which was published on September 24, 1847.
Although Webster's work was honored, his big dictionaries had never sold well. The 1828 edition was priced at a whopping $20; in 13 years its 2,500 copies had not sold out. Similarly, the 1841 edition, only slightly more affordable at $15, moved slowly. Assuming that a lower price would increase sales, the Merriams introduced the 1847 edition at $6, and although Webster's heirs initially questioned this move, extraordinary sales that brought them $250,000 in royalties over the ensuing 25 years convinced them that the Merriams' decision had been abundantly sound.
The first Merriam-Webster dictionary was greeted with wide acclaim. President James K. Polk, General Zachary Taylor (hero of the Mexican War and later president himself), 31 U.S. senators, and other prominent people hailed it unreservedly. In 1850 its acceptance as a resource for students began when Massachusetts ordered a copy for every school and New York placed a similar order for 10,000 copies to be used in schools throughout the state. Eventually school use would spread throughout the country. In becoming America's most trusted authority on the English language, Merriam-Webster dictionaries had taken on a role of public responsibility demanded of few other publishing companies.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
good basic law dictionary,
By mike (kansas) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Law (Paperback)
i compared this to black's law dictionary when i bought this particular dictionary. i found that the definitions were just as comprehensive as the black's and that layout was easier to understand. the price is also big plus since it is half the cost of the blacks
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Keep this Handy,
By
This review is from: Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Law (Paperback)
I keep this legal dictionary at my right hand on my desk and refer to it almost daily. It is a perferct legal dictionary for non-lawyers.
I'm not a lawyer, but have been involved with litigation as a plaintiff and am training as an expert witness. Sometimes it's helpful to know what "voir dire" and "subpoena duces tecum" mean. Even for somebody who's studied Latin and French, lawyers sometimes pronounce things differently than you'd expect - and this dictionary has helped. I also appreciate having a copy of the constitution in the back, as well as a guide to the judicial system. Included is a bare-bones outline of criminal and civil procedure which will be helpful for the layperson. The appendix also has lists of important cases and important laws (can you remember Marbury vs. Madison from high school civics?). I know that Black's Law Dictionary, Eighth Edition (Black's Law Dictionary (Standard Edition)) is the standard, but you can't beat this dictionary for its price, size, and coverage.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Useful,
By
This review is from: Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Law (Paperback)
I had planned on buying "Black's Law Dictionary", but the review of this dictionary made me think twice. I did a comparison of some key words and phrases between these two and several others. This one was the winner.
The price was not an object, but it sure is nice to pocket the extra money. This dictionary had similar definitions, but slightly more readable. What was the tipping point were the additional description of how they are used -- not just the definition, but was it means and some historical usages. The extras at the back are nice. They will probably be more useful than I had suspected, especially the summaries of important Supreme Court cases.
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