Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Communis paries: A Latin term that means "common wall" in civil law. It refers to a wall that is shared by two adjoining properties.
Communis patria: Another Latin term that means "common country" in historical law. It refers to a place that is considered home to all people. For example, in the past, courts were held in Edinburgh as communis patria to all of Scotland.
Definition: Communis paries (pronounced kuh-myoo-nis par-ee-eez) is a Latin term that means "common wall." In civil law, it refers to a party wall, which is a wall that is shared by two or more buildings.
Example: If two townhouses share a wall, that wall is considered a communis paries.
Definition: Communis patria (pronounced kuh-myoo-nis pay-tree-uh) is a Latin term that means "common country." In legal history, it referred to a place that was considered home to all.
Example: In Scotland, Edinburgh was considered a communis patria to all of Scotland. This meant that courts could be held there for cases involving heritable rights, even if the lands in question were located in a different part of the country.
Explanation: These examples illustrate how the terms communis paries and communis patria were used in legal contexts. The first example shows how communis paries was used to describe a specific type of wall in civil law. The second example shows how communis patria was used to describe a place that was considered home to all, and how this concept was used in Scottish legal history.