habeas corpus

[ hey-bee-uh s kawr-puh s ]
/ ˈheɪ bi əs ˈkɔr pəs /

noun Law.

a writ requiring a person to be brought before a judge or court, especially for investigation of a restraint of the person's liberty, used as a protection against illegal imprisonment.

Origin of habeas corpus

< Latin: literally, have the body (first words of writ), equivalent to habeās 2nd singular present subjunctive (with imperative force) of habēre to have + corpus body

Words nearby habeas corpus

Example sentences from the Web for habeas corpus

British Dictionary definitions for habeas corpus

habeas corpus
/ (ˈheɪbɪəs ˈkɔːpəs) /

noun

law a writ ordering a person to be brought before a court or judge, esp so that the court may ascertain whether his detention is lawful

Word Origin for habeas corpus

C15: from the opening of the Latin writ, literally: you may have the body

Cultural definitions for habeas corpus

habeas corpus
[ (hay-bee-uhs kawr-puhs) ]

A legal term meaning that an accused person must be presented physically before the court with a statement demonstrating sufficient cause for arrest. Thus, no accuser may imprison someone indefinitely without bringing that person and the charges against him or her into a courtroom. In Latin, habeas corpus literally means “you shall have the body.”