Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Quartering is a word that has different meanings depending on the context. In history, it refers to the punishment of dividing a criminal's body into four parts after execution. It was a severe punishment for crimes like high treason. In the military, it means providing living quarters to soldiers. The Third Amendment of the US Constitution protects people from being forced to use their homes to quarter soldiers. Quartering can also refer to dividing a shield into four parts to show four different coats of arms.
Definition: Quartering refers to the act of dividing a criminal's body into quarters after execution, typically as part of the punishment for a crime such as high treason. It can also refer to the provision of living quarters to members of the military or the dividing of a shield into four parts to show four different coats of arms.
The first example illustrates the historical use of quartering as a form of punishment for serious crimes. The second example shows how quartering can refer to the provision of living quarters to military personnel. The third example demonstrates how quartering can be used in heraldry to divide a shield into four parts to represent different aspects of a family's history.