Legal Definitions - abatuda

Abatuda is a historical legal term referring to something that has been diminished, reduced in value, or debased from its original or expected state. It describes a situation where an item, asset, or right is no longer in its full or intended form or worth.

• Imagine a medieval estate where a lord granted a tenant a specific plot of farmland, originally surveyed to be 50 acres. Over time, due to a river changing its course and eroding part of the land, the usable acreage was reduced to 45 acres. The 5 acres lost to erosion would be considered abatuda, representing the diminished portion of the original grant.

• Consider a historical scenario where a will stipulated that a specific heir was to receive a collection of 20 rare books. However, before the estate could be fully settled, some of the books were damaged beyond repair or lost due to unforeseen circumstances, reducing the collection to 15 intact books. The five missing or ruined books would constitute an abatuda, as the heir's intended inheritance was diminished from its original specified amount.