Legal Definitions - corium redimere

Corium Redimere

This is a historical Latin term that literally translates to "to redeem one's skin." It refers to the practice where an individual who committed an offense would make a payment or provide restitution to compensate for their wrongdoing, thereby avoiding a more severe punishment, such as physical harm, imprisonment, or public shaming.

• Imagine a medieval village where a farmer's son accidentally damaged a neighbor's fence while herding sheep. Instead of facing a public whipping or a fine that would deplete his family's meager savings, the son's father offers to repair the fence himself and also provides a small amount of grain to the neighbor as a gesture of goodwill. This act of compensation—repairing the damage and offering a token payment—would be considered corium redimere because it resolves the offense through restitution, preventing a harsher penalty for the son.

• In a historical context, if two landowners had a dispute over a boundary line, and one encroached upon the other's land, causing a loss of crops, the offending landowner might agree to pay a sum of money equivalent to the value of the lost crops. This payment, made to compensate the wronged party for their loss, serves as corium redimere. By providing this restitution, the offending landowner "redeems their skin," avoiding a potentially violent feud or a lengthy, costly legal battle that could result in a more severe judgment against them.

• Consider a situation in a historical guild where a craftsman was found to have poorly executed a commission, causing financial loss to the client and damaging the guild's reputation. To avoid being expelled from the guild or facing public shaming, the craftsman might offer to redo the work at no additional cost, compensate the client for their initial losses, and perhaps even pay a small fine to the guild itself. This combination of corrective action, financial compensation, and a penalty payment exemplifies corium redimere, as the craftsman is making amends and providing restitution to mitigate the consequences of their actions and restore their standing.