Legal Definitions - indicare

indicare (verb)

The term indicare, originating from Latin, is a verb primarily used in historical Roman law and civil law traditions. It describes the act of:

• Formally accusing an individual of a wrongdoing or presenting evidence that points to their involvement in an offense.
• Revealing, pointing out, or bringing to light specific information, facts, or details.
• Establishing, determining, or stating the price or value of an item or service.

Here are some examples illustrating the application of indicare:

• Example 1 (Accusing/Providing Evidence): In ancient Roman legal proceedings, if a citizen were to formally present a complaint against a neighbor for theft, bringing forward witnesses and physical evidence to support their claim, they would be said to indicare their neighbor.

  Explanation: This example demonstrates the sense of indicare as accusing someone of a crime and providing evidence against them within a historical legal context.

• Example 2 (Revealing/Discovering Information): During a property dispute in a civil law jurisdiction, a court might order an expert surveyor to meticulously examine old land records and physical markers to precisely identify and map the true boundaries of a contested plot. The surveyor's report would then indicare the exact demarcation lines.

  Explanation: Here, indicare refers to the act of discovering and clearly showing or revealing specific, factual information—the property boundaries—based on an investigation.

• Example 3 (Establishing Price): When a rare antique is bequeathed to multiple heirs in a country following a civil law system, a court may appoint an independent appraiser whose task is to thoroughly assess the item and then indicare its fair market value. This declared price would then be used for equitable distribution among the heirs.

  Explanation: This illustrates indicare in the sense of fixing or telling the price of a thing, where an authority or expert determines and states a specific monetary value.