law : Idioms & Phrases

• noun a judicial proceeding brought by one party against another; one party prosecutes another for a wrong done or for protection of a right or for prevention of a wrong
  action; legal action.
  

WordNet

• noun the body of rules and regulations and orders and decisions created by administrative agencies of government
  

WordNet

• noun the branch of international law that deals with territorial and international waters or with shipping or with ocean fishery etc.
  marine law; admiralty law.
  

WordNet

• noun (neurophysiology) a nerve impulse resulting from a weak stimulus is just as strong as a nerve impulse resulting from a strong stimulus
  

WordNet

• noun a law forbidding the sale or use of narcotic drugs
  

WordNet

• noun law intended to eradicate organized crime by establishing strong sanctions and forfeiture provisions
  Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act; RICO; RICO Act.
  

WordNet

• noun law intended to promote free competition in the market place by outlawing monopolies
  antitrust legislation.
  

WordNet

• noun the principle that equal volumes of all gases (given the same temperature and pressure) contain equal numbers of molecules
  Avogadro's hypothesis.
  

WordNet

• (Chem.), a fundamental conception, according to which, under similar conditions of temperature and pressure, all gases and vapors contain in the same volume the same number of ultimate molecules; so named after Avogadro, an Italian scientist. Sometimes called Ampère's law.

Webster 1913

• noun a three-year law degree
  LLB.
  

WordNet

• a law by which the property of a person who is unable or unwilling to pay his debts may be taken and distributed to his creditors, and by which a person who has made a full surrender of his property, and is free from fraud, may be discharged from the legal obligation of his debts. See Insolvent, a.

Webster 1913

• noun a law used by auditors to identify fictitious populations of numbers; applies to any population of numbers derived from other numbers
  
  • Benford's law holds that 30% of the time the first non-zero digit of a derived number will be 1 and it will be 9 only 4.6% of the time

WordNet

• noun English general during World War II; won victories over Rommel in North Africa and led British ground forces in the invasion of Normandy (1887-1976)
  Bernard Law Montgomery; 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein; Montgomery.
  

WordNet

• noun (statistics) law stating that a large number of items taken at random from a population will (on the average) have the population statistics
  Bernoulli's law.
  

WordNet

• noun a statute regulating work on Sundays
  blue law.
  

WordNet

• noun a statute regulating work on Sundays
  blue law.
  

WordNet

• a name first used in the eighteenth century to describe certain supposititious laws of extreme rigor reported to have been enacted in New Haven; hence, any puritanical laws. U. S.

Webster 1913

• noun a state law regulating the sale of securities in an attempt to control the sale of securities in fraudulent enterprises
  

WordNet

• (Astron.), an approximative empirical expression of the distances of the planets from the sun, as follows: Mer. Ven. Earth. Mars. Aste. Jup. Sat. Uran. Nep. 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 0 3 6 12 24 48 96 192 384 - - 4 7 10 16 28 52 100 196 388 5.9 7.3 10 15.2 27.4 52 95.4 192 300 where each distance (line third) is the sum of 4 and a multiple of 3 by the series 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, etc., the true distances being given in the lower line.

Webster 1913

• (Law), the main and operative part.

Webster 1913

• noun (physics) a law expressing the distribution of energy among the molecules of a gas in thermal equilibrium
  Boltzmann distribution law.
  

WordNet

• noun the pressure of an ideal gas at constant temperature varies inversely with the volume
  Boyle's law.
  

WordNet

• (Physics), an expression of the fact, that when an elastic fluid is subjected to compression, and kept at a constant temperature, the product of the pressure and volume is a constant quantity, i. e., the volume is inversely proportioned to the pressure; known also as Mariotte's law, and the law of Boyle and Mariotte.

Webster 1913

• the ancient Irish laws, unwritten, like the common law of England. They were abolished by statute of Edward III.

Webster 1913

• noun a brother by marriage
  

WordNet

Broth"er-in-law` noun

Wordforms

Definitions

1. The brother of one's husband or wife; also, the husband of one's sister; sometimes, the husband of one's wife's sister.

Webster 1913

By"-law` noun

Etymology

Definitions

1. A local or subordinate law; a private law or regulation made by a corporation for its own government.

   There was likewise a law to restrain the by-laws, or ordinances of corporations. Bacon.

   The law or institution; to which are added two by-laws, as a comment upon the general law. Addison.

2. A law that is less important than a general law or constitutional provision, and subsidiary to it; a rule relating to a matter of detail; as, civic societies often adopt a constitution and by-laws for the government of their members. In this sense the word has probably been influenced by by, meaning secondary or aside.

Webster 1913

• noun the body of codified laws governing the affairs of a Christian church
  canon law.
  

WordNet

• the body of ecclesiastical law adopted in the Christian Church, certain portions of which (for example, the law of marriage as existing before the Council of Tent) were brought to America by the English colonists as part of the common law of the land. Wharton.

Webster 1913

• noun a system of jurisprudence based on judicial precedents rather than statutory laws
  case law; precedent.
  
  • common law originated in the unwritten laws of England and was later applied in the United States
• noun (civil law) a law established by following earlier judicial decisions
  case law; precedent.
  

WordNet

• noun (physics) the density of an ideal gas at constant pressure varies inversely with the temperature
  Gay-Lussac's law; Charles's law.
  

WordNet

• noun the body of laws established by a state or nation for its own regulation
  
• noun the legal code of ancient Rome; codified under Justinian; the basis for many modern systems of civil law
  Justinian code; jus civile; civil law.
  

WordNet

• a term used by writers to designate Roman law, with modifications thereof which have been made in the different countries into which that law has been introduced. The civil law, instead of the common law, prevails in the State of Louisiana. Wharton.

Webster 1913

• government by violence; lynch law; anarchy.

Webster 1913

• noun a mere semblance of legal right; something done with the apparent authority of law but actually in contravention of law
  color of law.
  
  • the plaintiff claimed that under color of law the officer had deprived him of his civil rights

WordNet

• noun a mere semblance of legal right; something done with the apparent authority of law but actually in contravention of law
  color of law.
  
  • the plaintiff claimed that under color of law the officer had deprived him of his civil rights

WordNet

• noun the body of rules applied to commercial transactions; derived from the practices of traders rather than from jurisprudence
  law merchant; commercial law.
  

WordNet

• . See Law merchant (below).

Webster 1913

• noun (civil law) a law established by following earlier judicial decisions
  case law; precedent.
  
• noun a system of jurisprudence based on judicial precedents rather than statutory laws
  case law; precedent.
  
  • common law originated in the unwritten laws of England and was later applied in the United States

WordNet

• a system of jurisprudence developing under the guidance of the courts so as to apply a consistent and reasonable rule to each litigated case. It may be superseded by statute, but unless superseded it controls. Wharton. It is by others defined as the unwritten law (especially of England), the law that receives its binding force from immemorial usage and universal reception, as ascertained and expressed in the judgments of the courts. This term is often used in contradistinction from statute law. Many use it to designate a law common to the whole country. It is also used to designate the whole body of English (or other) law, as distinguished from its subdivisions, local, civil, admiralty, equity, etc. See Law.

Webster 1913

• adjective satellite based on common law
  
  • a common-law right

WordNet

• noun a marriage relationship created by agreement and cohabitation rather than by ceremony
  

WordNet

• noun a finding as to the applicability of a rule of law to particular facts
  conclusion of law.
  

WordNet

• law that relates to the constitution, as a permanent system of political and juridical government, as distinguished from statutory and common law, which relate to matters subordinate to such constitution.

Webster 1913

• noun that branch of jurisprudence that studies the rights and obligations of parties entering into contracts
  

WordNet

• laws regulating trade in corn, especially those in force in Great Britain till 1846, prohibiting the importation of foreign grain for home consumption, except when the price rose above a certain rate.

Webster 1913

• noun that branch of jurisprudence that studies the laws governing corporations
  

WordNet

• noun a fundamental principle of electrostatics; the force of attraction or repulsion between two charged particles is directly proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the distance between them; principle also holds for magnetic poles
  

WordNet

• noun a lawyer who pleads cases in court
  counsel; counsellor; advocate; pleader; counselor.
  

WordNet

• noun a tribunal that is presided over by a magistrate or by one or more judges who administer justice according to the laws
  lawcourt; court; court of justice.
  

WordNet

• noun the body of law dealing with crimes and their punishment
  

WordNet

• that branch of jurisprudence which relates to crimes.
• the law which relates to crimes.

Webster 1913

• the law which governs criminal prosecutions. Eng.

Webster 1913

• noun (chemistry) law stating that when two elements can combine to form more than one compound the amounts of one of them that combines with a fixed amount of the other will exhibit a simple multiple relation
  Dalton's law.
  
• noun (chemistry and physics) law stating that the pressure exerted by a mixture of gases equals the sum of the partial pressures of the gases in the mixture; the pressure of a gas in a mixture equals the pressure it would exert if it occupied the same volume alone at the same temperature
  Dalton's law; Dalton's law of partial pressures.
  

WordNet

• noun (chemistry and physics) law stating that the pressure exerted by a mixture of gases equals the sum of the partial pressures of the gases in the mixture; the pressure of a gas in a mixture equals the pressure it would exert if it occupied the same volume alone at the same temperature
  Dalton's law; Dalton's law of partial pressures.
  

WordNet

• noun the wife of your son
  

WordNet

Daugh"ter-in-law` noun

Wordforms

Definitions

1. The wife of one's son.

Webster 1913

• noun (chemistry) the total energy in an assembly of molecules is not distributed equally but is distributed around an average value according to a statistical distribution
  

WordNet

• noun a law that is believed to come directly from God
  

WordNet

• noun an honorary law degree
  LLD.
  

WordNet

• a code of laws made by Draco. Their measures were so severe that they were said to be written in letters of blood; hence, any laws of excessive rigor.

Webster 1913

• noun (law) the administration of justice according to established rules and principles; based on the principle that a person cannot be deprived of life or liberty or property without appropriate legal procedures and safeguards
  due process.
  

WordNet

• noun the body of codified laws governing the affairs of a Christian church
  canon law.
  

WordNet

• a combination of civil and canon law as administered in ecclesiastical courts. Eng.

Webster 1913

• noun a right guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution and by the due-process clause of the Fifth Amendment
  

WordNet

• noun the right to equal protection of the laws
  

WordNet

• noun (chemistry) the principle that (at chemical equilibrium) in a reversible reaction the ratio of the rate of the forward reaction to the rate of the reverse reaction is a constant for that reaction
  equilibrium law.
  

WordNet

• noun police organization for the European Union; aims to improve effectiveness and cooperation among European police forces
  Europol.
  

WordNet

• a law which operates by after enactment. The phrase is popularly applied to any law, civil or criminal, which is enacted with a retrospective effect, and with intention to produce that effect; but in its true application, as employed in American law, it relates only to crimes, and signifies a law which retroacts, by way of criminal punishment, upon that which was not a crime before its passage, or which raises the grade of an offense, or renders an act punishable in a more severe manner that it was when committed. Ex post facto laws are held to be contrary to the fundamental principles of a free government, and the States are prohibited from passing such laws by the Constitution of the United States.

Webster 1913

• (Civil Law), a law by which a testator was obliged to leave at least a fourth of his estate to the heir.

Webster 1913

• noun the father of your spouse
  

WordNet

Fa"ther-in-law` noun

Wordforms

Definitions

1. The father of one's husband or wife; -- correlative to son-in-law and daughter-in-law. ✍ A man who marries a woman having children already, is sometimes, though erroneously, called their father-in-law.

Webster 1913

• noun (psychophysics) the concept that the magnitude of a subjective sensation increases proportional to the logarithm of the stimulus intensity; based on early work by E. H. Weber
  Fechner's law.
  

WordNet

• noun a law passed by the United States Congress that created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to prevent employees from being injured or contracting diseases in the course of their employment
  occupational safety and health act.
  

WordNet

• noun a center in the Department of that trains law enforcement professionals for more than seventy federal agencies
  FLETC.
  

WordNet

• noun a finding as to the applicability of a rule of law to particular facts
  conclusion of law.
  

WordNet

• noun a body remains at rest or in motion with a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force
  first law of motion; Newton's first law.
  

WordNet

• noun the fundamental principle of physics that the total energy of an isolated system is constant despite internal changes
  first law of thermodynamics; conservation of energy.
  

WordNet

• laws for the protection of game, preservation of timber, etc., in forests.

Webster 1913

Frank"-law` noun

Etymology

Definitions

1. (Eng. Law) The liberty of being sworn in courts, as a juror or witness; one of the ancient privileges of a freeman; free and common law; -- an obsolete expression signifying substantially the same as the American expression civil rights. Abbot.

Webster 1913

• noun fraud that is presumed from the circumstances although the one who commits it need not have had any evil intent
  

WordNet

• noun United States landscape architect primarily responsible for the design of Central Park in New York City (1822-1903)
  Olmsted.
  

WordNet

• noun law determining the fundamental political principles of a government
  constitution; fundamental law.
  

WordNet

• noun a rule for limiting or ending debate in a deliberative body
  closure; cloture; gag rule.
  
• noun any law that limits freedom of the press
  

WordNet

• noun a regulation intended to manage or preserve game animals
  game law.
  

WordNet

• noun a regulation intended to manage or preserve game animals
  game law.
  

WordNet

• laws regulating the seasons and manner of taking game for food or for sport.

Webster 1913

• noun (physics) the density of an ideal gas at constant pressure varies inversely with the temperature
  Gay-Lussac's law; Charles's law.
  

WordNet

• noun a principle of Gestalt psychology that identifies factors leading to particular forms of perceptual organization
  Gestalt principle of organization.
  

WordNet

• noun (economics) the principle that when two kinds of money having the same denominational value are in circulation the intrinsically more valuable money will be hoarded and the money of lower intrinsic value will circulate more freely until the intrinsically more valuable money is driven out of circulation; bad money drives out good; credited to Sir Thomas Gresham
  

WordNet

• noun a sound law relating German consonants and consonants in other Indo-European languages
  

WordNet

• (Philol.), a statement (propounded by the German philologist Jacob Grimm) of certain regular changes which the primitive Indo-European mute consonants, so-called (most plainly seen in Sanskrit and, with some changes, in Greek and Latin), have undergone in the Teutonic languages. Examples: Skr. bhatr, L. frater, E. brother, G. bruder; L. tres, E. three, G. drei, Skr. go, E. cow, G. kuh; Skr. dha to put, Gr. ti-qe`-nai, E. do, OHG, tuon, G. thun.

Webster 1913

• noun a law stating that the ratio of the square of the revolutionary period (in years) to the cube of the orbital axis (in astronomical units) is the same for all planets
  harmonic law.
  

WordNet

• one who, after his ancector's death, has a right to inherit all his intestate estate. Wharton (Law Dict.).

Webster 1913

• noun the person legally entitled to inherit the property of someone who dies intestate
  

WordNet

• noun (chemistry) law formulated by the English chemist William Henry; the amount of a gas that will be absorbed by water increases as the gas pressure increases
  

WordNet

• noun a principle that takes precedent over the laws of society
  

WordNet

• noun a law conferring privileges on owners of homesteads
  

WordNet

• . (a) A law conferring special privileges or exemptions upon owners of homesteads; esp., a law exempting a homestead from attachment or sale under execution for general debts. Such laws, with limitations as to the extent or value of the property, exist in most of the States. Called also homestead exemption law. (b) Also, a designation of an Act of Congress authorizing and regulating the sale of public lands, in parcels of 160 acres each, to actual settlers. U.S.

Webster 1913

• noun (physics) the principle that (within the elastic limit) the stress applied to a solid is proportional to the strain produced
  

WordNet

• noun (astronomy) the generalization that the speed of recession of distant galaxies (the red shift) is proportional to their distance from the observer
  Hubble law.
  

WordNet

• noun (astronomy) the generalization that the speed of recession of distant galaxies (the red shift) is proportional to their distance from the observer
  Hubble law.
  

WordNet

• noun a relative by marriage
  in-law.
  

WordNet

• a law affording relief, subject to various modifications in different States, to insolvent debtors, upon their delivering up their property for the benefit of their creditors. See Bankrupt law, under Bankrupt, a.

Webster 1913

• noun the body of laws governing relations between nations
  international law.
  

WordNet

• the rules regulating the mutual intercourse of nations. International law is mainly the product of the conditions from time to time of international intercourse, being drawn from diplomatic discussion, textbooks, proof of usage, and from recitals in treaties. It is called public when treating of the relations of sovereign powers, and private when of the relations of persons of different nationalities. International law is now, by the better opinion, part of the common law of the land. Cf. Conflict of laws, under Conflict.

Webster 1913

• noun an international administrative unit responsible for law enforcement
  

WordNet

• noun the code of law derived from the Koran and from the teachings and example of Mohammed
  sharia; Islamic law; shariah; sharia law.
  
  • sharia is only applicable to Muslims
  • under Islamic law there is no separation of church and state

WordNet

• noun a law stating that the orbit of each planet is an ellipse with the sun at one focus of the ellipse
  

WordNet

• noun (astronomy) one of three empirical laws of planetary motion stated by Johannes Kepler
  Kepler's law; Kepler's law of planetary motion.
  

WordNet

• noun (astronomy) one of three empirical laws of planetary motion stated by Johannes Kepler
  Kepler's law; Kepler's law of planetary motion.
  

WordNet

• noun (astronomy) one of three empirical laws of planetary motion stated by Johannes Kepler
  Kepler's law; Kepler's law of planetary motion.
  

WordNet

• (Astron.), three important laws or expressions of the order of the planetary motions, discovered by John Kepler. They are these: (1) The orbit of a planet with respect to the sun is an ellipse, the sun being in one of the foci. (2) The areas swept over by a vector drawn from the sun to a planet are proportioned to the times of describing them. (3) The squares of the times of revolution of two planets are in the ratio of the cubes of their mean distances.

Webster 1913

• noun a law concerning the speed at which planets travel; a line connecting a planet to the sun will sweep out equal areas in equal times
  Kepler's second law; law of areas.
  
  • Kepler's second law means that a planet's orbital speed changes with its distance from the sun

WordNet

• noun a law stating that the ratio of the square of the revolutionary period (in years) to the cube of the orbital axis (in astronomical units) is the same for all planets
  harmonic law.
  

WordNet

• noun (physics) two laws governing electric networks in which steady currents flow: the sum of all the currents at a point is zero and the sum of the voltage gains and drops around any closed circuit is zero
  

WordNet

• noun a solicitor in Scotland
  

WordNet

• a plain style of leather binding, used for law books; called also law calf.

Webster 1913

• a book containing, or treating of, laws.

Webster 1913

• . See Law binding (above).

Webster 1913

• . (a) Formerly, a day of holding court, esp. a court-leet. (b) The day named in a mortgage for the payment of the money to secure which it was given . U. S.

Webster 1913

• noun degree conferred on someone who successfully completes law school
  

WordNet

• noun ensuring obedience to the laws
  

WordNet

• noun an agency responsible for insuring obedience to the laws
  

WordNet

• noun a firm of lawyers
  

WordNet

• the dialect of Norman, which was used in judicial proceedings and law books in England from the days of William the Conqueror to the thirty-sixth year of Edward III.

Webster 1913

• the language used in legal writings and forms.

Webster 1913

• . See under Latin.

Webster 1913

• peers in the British Parliament who have held high judicial office, or have been noted in the legal profession.

Webster 1913

• noun the body of rules applied to commercial transactions; derived from the practices of traders rather than from jurisprudence
  law merchant; commercial law.
  

WordNet

• a system of rules by which trade and commerce are regulated; deduced from the custom of merchants, and regulated by judicial decisions, as also by enactments of legislatures. now in most state superseded by the Uniform Commercial Code

Webster 1913

• noun action and reaction are equal and opposite
  Newton's third law of motion; Newton's third law; law of action and reaction.
  

WordNet

• noun (hydrostatics) the apparent loss in weight of a body immersed in a fluid is equal to the weight of the displaced fluid
  Archimedes' principle.
  

WordNet

• noun a law concerning the speed at which planets travel; a line connecting a planet to the sun will sweep out equal areas in equal times
  Kepler's second law; law of areas.
  
  • Kepler's second law means that a planet's orbital speed changes with its distance from the sun

WordNet

• noun a law affirming that in the long run probabilities will determine performance
  

WordNet

• (Physics), the law that the volume of a given mass of gas increases or decreases, by a definite fraction of its value for a given rise or fall of temperature; sometimes less correctly styled Gay Lussac's law, or Dalton's law.

Webster 1913

• noun (chemistry) the principle that (at chemical equilibrium) in a reversible reaction the ratio of the rate of the forward reaction to the rate of the reverse reaction is a constant for that reaction
  equilibrium law.
  

WordNet

• noun a Gestalt principle of organization holding that there is an innate tendency to perceive incomplete objects as complete and to close or fill gaps and to perceive asymmetric stimuli as symmetric
  closure.
  

WordNet

• noun a Gestalt principle of organization holding that aspects of perceptual field that move or function in a similar manner will be perceived as a unit
  common fate.
  

WordNet

• noun the fundamental principle of physics that the total energy of an isolated system is constant despite internal changes
  first law of thermodynamics; conservation of energy.
  

WordNet

• noun a fundamental principle of classical physics that matter cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system
  law of conservation of mass; conservation of matter; conservation of mass.
  

WordNet

• noun a fundamental principle of classical physics that matter cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system
  law of conservation of mass; conservation of matter; conservation of mass.
  

WordNet

• noun (chemistry) law stating that every pure substance always contains the same elements combined in the same proportions by weight
  law of constant proportion.
  

WordNet

• noun a Gestalt principle of organization holding that there is an innate tendency to perceive a line as continuing its established direction
  continuation; good continuation.
  

WordNet

• noun (chemistry) law stating that every pure substance always contains the same elements combined in the same proportions by weight
  law of constant proportion.
  

WordNet

• noun a law affirming that to continue after a certain level of performance has been reached will result in a decline in effectiveness
  

WordNet

• noun (psychology) the principle that behaviors are selected by their consequences; behavior having good consequences tends to be repeated whereas behavior that leads to bad consequences is not repeated
  

WordNet

• noun a law concerning the speed at which planets travel; a line connecting a planet to the sun will sweep out equal areas in equal times
  Kepler's second law; law of areas.
  
  • Kepler's second law means that a planet's orbital speed changes with its distance from the sun

WordNet

• noun (chemistry) law stating that the proportions in which two elements separately combine with a third element are also the proportions in which they combine together
  law of equivalent proportions.
  

WordNet

• noun (physics) the law that states any two bodies attract each other with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them
  law of gravitation.
  

WordNet

• noun each member of a pair of homologous chromosomes separates independently of the members of other pairs so the results are random
  

WordNet

• noun (statistics) law stating that a large number of items taken at random from a population will (on the average) have the population statistics
  Bernoulli's law.
  

WordNet

• noun (chemistry) the law that states the following principle: the rate of a chemical reaction is directly proportional to the molecular concentrations of the reacting substances
  

WordNet

• noun the laws (beginning with the Ten Commandments) that God gave to the Israelites through Moses; it includes many rules of religious observance given in the first five books of the Old Testament (in Judaism these books are called the Torah)
  Law of Moses.
  

WordNet

• noun one of three basic laws of classical mechanics
  law of motion; Newton's law.
  

WordNet

• noun (chemistry) law stating that when two elements can combine to form more than one compound the amounts of one of them that combines with a fixed amount of the other will exhibit a simple multiple relation
  Dalton's law.
  

WordNet

• noun the body of laws governing relations between nations
  international law.
  

WordNet

• . See International law, under International.

Webster 1913

• noun a generalization that describes recurring facts or events in nature
  law.
  
  • the laws of thermodynamics

WordNet

• . (a) A broad generalization expressive of the constant action, or effect, of natural conditions; as, death is a law of nature; self-defense is a law of nature. See Law, 4. (b) A term denoting the standard, or system, of morality deducible from a study of the nature and natural relations of human beings independent of supernatural revelation or of municipal and social usages.

Webster 1913

• noun the principle that entities should not be multiplied needlessly; the simplest of two competing theories is to be preferred
  Ockham's Razor; principle of parsimony; Occam's Razor.
  

WordNet

• noun (chemistry and physics) law stating that the pressure exerted by a mixture of gases equals the sum of the partial pressures of the gases in the mixture; the pressure of a gas in a mixture equals the pressure it would exert if it occupied the same volume alone at the same temperature
  Dalton's law; Dalton's law of partial pressures.
  

WordNet

• noun a Gestalt principle of organization holding that (other things being equal) objects or events that are near to one another (in space or time) are perceived as belonging together as a unit
  proximity.
  

WordNet

• noun (chemistry) law stating that the proportions in which two elements separately combine with a third element are also the proportions in which they combine together
  law of equivalent proportions.
  

WordNet

• noun members of a pair of homologous chromosomes separate during the formation of gametes and are distributed to different gametes so that every gamete receives only one member of the pair
  

WordNet

• noun a Gestalt principle of organization holding that (other things being equal) parts of a stimulus field that are similar to each other tend to be perceived as belonging together as a unit
  similarity.
  

WordNet

• noun a phrase used in the Magna Carta to refer to the then established law of the kingdom (as distinct from Roman or civil law); today it refers to fundamental principles of justice commensurate with due process
  
  • the United States Constitution declares itself to be `the supreme law of the land'

WordNet

• due process of law; the general law of the land.

Webster 1913

• noun (physics) a law governing the relations between states of energy in a closed system
  

WordNet

• noun (physics) the density of an ideal gas at constant pressure varies inversely with the temperature
  Gay-Lussac's law; Charles's law.
  

WordNet

• noun someone who violates the law
  violator; lawbreaker.
  

WordNet

• noun an officer of the law
  lawman; peace officer.
  

WordNet

• noun the practice of law
  

WordNet

• noun a graduate school offering study leading to a law degree
  law school.
  

WordNet

• noun a student in law school
  

WordNet

• adjective satellite (of individuals) adhering strictly to laws and rules and customs
  observant.
  
  • law-abiding citizens
  • observant of the speed limit

WordNet

Law"-a*bid`ing adjective

Definitions

1. Abiding the law; waiting for the operation of law for the enforcement of rights; also, abiding by the law; obedient to the law; as, law-abiding people.

Webster 1913

• noun (criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
  offence; criminal offense; crime; offense; criminal offence.
  
  • a long record of crimes

WordNet

Law"-fall` noun

Definitions

1. Depression of the jaw; hence, depression of spirits. M. Griffith (1660).

Webster 1913

• noun persons who make or amend or repeal laws
  legislature; legislative assembly; legislative body; general assembly.
  

WordNet

• . See under Honor.

Webster 1913

• (Physics), three laws defined by Sir Isaac Newton: (1) Every body perseveres in its state of rest or of moving uniformly in a straight line, except so far as it is made to change that state by external force. (2) Change of motion is proportional to the impressed force, and takes place in the direction in which the force is impressed. (3) Reaction is always equal and opposite to action, that is to say, the actions of two bodies upon each other are always equal and in opposite directions.

Webster 1913

• noun the principle that if any change is imposed on a system that is in equilibrium then the system tends to adjust to a new equilibrium counteracting the change
  Le Chatelier's principle; Le Chatelier principle; Le Chatelier-Braun principle.
  

WordNet

• a lawyer or an officer of the law. Colloq.

Webster 1913

• noun the practice of punishing people by hanging without due process of law
  

WordNet

Lynch" law`

Definitions

1. . The act or practice by private persons of inflicting punishment for crimes or offenses, without due process of law. ✍ The term Lynch law is said to be derived from a Virginian named Lynch, who took the law into his own hands. But the origin of the term is very doubtful.

Webster 1913

• any law prohibiting the manufacture and sale of intoxicating beverages, esp. one resembling that enacted in the State of Maine.

Webster 1913

• noun the branch of international law that deals with territorial and international waters or with shipping or with ocean fishery etc.
  marine law; admiralty law.
  

WordNet

• . See under Law.

Webster 1913

• the law of the sea; a branch of the law merchant relating to the affairs of the sea, such as seamen, ships, shipping, navigation, and the like. Bouvier.

Webster 1913

• noun the pressure of an ideal gas at constant temperature varies inversely with the volume
  Boyle's law.
  

WordNet

• . See Boyle's law (above).

Webster 1913

• noun the branch of international law that deals with territorial and international waters or with shipping or with ocean fishery etc.
  marine law; admiralty law.
  

WordNet

• . See Law.

Webster 1913

• noun the body of law imposed by the military over civilian affairs (usually in time of war or civil crisis); overrides civil law
  

WordNet

• the law administered by the military power of a government when it has superseded the civil authority in time of war, or when the civil authorities are unable to enforce the laws. It is distinguished from military law, the latter being the code of rules for the regulation of the army and navy alone, either in peace or in war.

Webster 1913

• noun an advanced law degree
  LLM.
  

WordNet

• noun that branch of jurisprudence that studies the laws governing matrimony
  

WordNet

• noun a disputed legal contention that is generally left for a judge to decide
  matter of law.
  

WordNet

• noun (physics) a law expressing the distribution of energy among the molecules of a gas in thermal equilibrium
  Boltzmann distribution law.
  

WordNet

• noun (genetics) one of two principles of heredity formulated by Gregor Mendel on the basis of his experiments with plants; the principles were limited and modified by subsequent genetic research
  

WordNet

• noun (chemistry) the principle that chemical properties of the elements are periodic functions of their atomic numbers
  Mendeleev's law.
  

WordNet

• noun the body of rules applied to commercial transactions; derived from the practices of traders rather than from jurisprudence
  law merchant; commercial law.
  

WordNet

• noun the body of laws and rules of conduct administered by military courts for the discipline, trial, and punishment of military personnel
  

WordNet

• a branch of the general municipal law, consisting of rules ordained for the government of the military force of a state in peace and war, and administered in courts martial. Kent. Warren's Blackstone.
• . See Martial law, under Martial.

Webster 1913

• law administered by the mob; lynch law.

Webster 1913

• the law of duty as regards what is right and wrong in the sight of God; specifically, the ten commandments given by Moses. See Law, 2.

Webster 1913

• . (Script.) See Law, 3.

Webster 1913

• noun the laws (beginning with the Ten Commandments) that God gave to the Israelites through Moses; it includes many rules of religious observance given in the first five books of the Old Testament (in Judaism these books are called the Torah)
  Law of Moses.
  

WordNet

• noun the mother of your spouse
  

WordNet

Moth"er-in-law` noun

Definitions

1. The mother of one's husband or wife.

Webster 1913

• noun an evergreen plant with large showy dark green leaves; contains a poison that swells the tongue and throat hence the name
  dumb cane; Dieffenbachia sequine; mother-in-law plant.
  

WordNet

• noun stemless plant having narrow rigid leaves often cultivated as a houseplant
  Sansevieria trifasciata; snake plant.
  
• noun an evergreen plant with large showy dark green leaves; contains a poison that swells the tongue and throat hence the name
  dumb cane; Dieffenbachia sequine; mother-in-law plant.
  

WordNet

• a rule prescribed by the supreme power of a state, declaring some right, enforcing some duty, or prohibiting some act; distinguished from international and constitutional law. See Law, 1.

Webster 1913

• noun humorous axiom stating that anything that can go wrong will go wrong
  Murphy's Law.
  

WordNet

• noun a rule or body of rules of conduct inherent in human nature and essential to or binding upon human society
  law.
  

WordNet

• that instinctive sense of justice and of right and wrong, which is native in mankind, as distinguished from specifically revealed divine law, and formulated human law.

Webster 1913

• noun a body remains at rest or in motion with a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force
  first law of motion; Newton's first law.
  

WordNet

• noun a body remains at rest or in motion with a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force
  first law of motion; Newton's first law.
  

WordNet

• noun one of three basic laws of classical mechanics
  law of motion; Newton's law.
  

WordNet

• noun (physics) the law that states any two bodies attract each other with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them
  law of gravitation.
  

WordNet

• noun one of three basic laws of classical mechanics
  law of motion; Newton's law.
  

WordNet

• noun the rate of change of momentum is proportional to the imposed force and goes in the direction of the force
  Newton's second law; Newton's second law of motion.
  

WordNet

• noun the rate of change of momentum is proportional to the imposed force and goes in the direction of the force
  Newton's second law; Newton's second law of motion.
  

WordNet

• noun action and reaction are equal and opposite
  Newton's third law of motion; Newton's third law; law of action and reaction.
  

WordNet

• noun action and reaction are equal and opposite
  Newton's third law of motion; Newton's third law; law of action and reaction.
  

WordNet

• all but the tenth point; the greater weight of authority.

Webster 1913

• noun electric current is directly proportional to voltage and inversely proportional to resistance; I = E/R
  

WordNet

• (Elec.), the statement of the fact that the strength or intensity of an electrical current is directly proportional to the electro-motive force, and inversely proportional to the resistance of the circuit.

Webster 1913

• a law or system of laws, or declaration of principles fundamental to the existence and organization of a political or other association; a constitution.

Webster 1913

• noun law determining the fundamental political principles of a government
  constitution; fundamental law.
  

WordNet

• noun C. Northcote Parkinson's cynical observation that work will expand so as to fill the time available for its completion
  
• noun C. Northcote Parkinson's cynical observation that the number of subordinates in an organization will increase linearly regardless of the amount of work to be done
  

WordNet

• noun a body of rules followed by an assembly
  rules of order; parliamentary procedure; order.
  

WordNet

• noun pressure applied anywhere to a body of fluid causes a force to be transmitted equally in all directions; the force acts at right angles to any surface in contact with the fluid
  Pascal's law.
  
  • the hydraulic press is an application of Pascal's law

WordNet

• noun pressure applied anywhere to a body of fluid causes a force to be transmitted equally in all directions; the force acts at right angles to any surface in contact with the fluid
  Pascal's law.
  
  • the hydraulic press is an application of Pascal's law

WordNet

• noun that branch of jurisprudence that studies the laws governing patents
  

WordNet

• (Law), laws prohibited certain acts, and imposing penalties for committing them.

Webster 1913

• noun (chemistry) the principle that chemical properties of the elements are periodic functions of their atomic numbers
  Mendeleev's law.
  

WordNet

• (Chem.), the generalization that the properties of the chemical elements are periodic functions of their atomic wieghts. "In other words, if the elements are grouped in the order of their atomic weights, it will be found that nearly the same properties recur periodically throughout the entire series." The following tabular arrangement of the atomic weights shows the regular recurrence of groups (under I., II., III., IV., etc.), each consisting of members of the same natural family. The gaps in the table indicate the probable existence of unknown elements. TABLE OF THE PERIODIC LAW OF THE CHEMICAL ELEMENTS(The vertical columns contain the periodic groups)Series1{ 2{ 3{ 4{ 5{ 6{ 7{ 8{ 9{ 10{ 11{ 12{ |I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. | RH4 RH3 RH3 RH |R2O RO R3O3 RO2 R2O5 RO3 R2O7 RO4 H1Li7Na23K39(Cu)63Rb85.2(Ag)(108)Cs133(-)(-)(Au)(197)(-) - ✍ A similar relation had been enunciated in a crude way by Newlands; but the law in its effective form was developed and elaborated by Mendelejeff, whence it is sometimes called Mendelejeff's law. Important extensions of it were also made by L. Meyer. By this means Mendelejeff predicted with remarkable accuracy the hypothetical elements ekaboron, ekaluminium, and ekasilicon, afterwards discovered and named respectively scandium, gallium, and germanium.

Webster 1913

• noun (physics) the basis of quantum theory; the energy of electromagnetic waves is contained in indivisible quanta that have to be radiated or absorbed as a whole; the magnitude is proportional to frequency where the constant of proportionality is given by Planck's constant
  

WordNet

• noun (physics) an equation that expresses the distribution of energy in the radiated spectrum of an ideal black body
  

WordNet

• noun a law providing support for the poor
  

WordNet

• a law providing for, or regulating, the relief or support of the poor.

Webster 1913

• . See Municipal law, under Law.

Webster 1913

• noun (psychophysics) the concept that the magnitude of a subjective sensation increases proportional to a power of the stimulus intensity
  Stevens' law; power law.
  

WordNet

• noun the learned profession that is mastered by graduate study in a law school and that is responsible for the judicial system
  law.
  
  • he studied law at Yale

WordNet

• (Law), a postulate applied in advance to all cases of a particular class; e. g., the presumption of innocence and of regularity of records. Such a presumption is rebuttable or irrebuttable.

Webster 1913

• noun a law affecting the public at large
  

WordNet

• . (a) See International law, under International. (b) A public act or statute.

Webster 1913

• noun a disputed legal contention that is generally left for a judge to decide
  matter of law.
  

WordNet

• noun (Judaism) a Jewish holy day celebrated on the 22nd or 23rd of Tishri to celebrate the completion of the annual cycle of readings of the Torah
  Rejoicing of the Law; Rejoicing in the Law; Simhat Torah; Simhath Torah; Simchas Torah; Shimchath Torah; Simchat Torah.
  

WordNet

• noun (Judaism) a Jewish holy day celebrated on the 22nd or 23rd of Tishri to celebrate the completion of the annual cycle of readings of the Torah
  Rejoicing of the Law; Rejoicing in the Law; Simhat Torah; Simhath Torah; Simchas Torah; Shimchath Torah; Simchat Torah.
  

WordNet

• noun (Judaism) a Jewish holy day celebrated on the 22nd or 23rd of Tishri to celebrate the completion of the annual cycle of readings of the Torah
  Rejoicing of the Law; Rejoicing in the Law; Simhat Torah; Simhath Torah; Simchas Torah; Shimchath Torah; Simchat Torah.
  

WordNet

• noun a relative by marriage
  in-law.
  

WordNet

• (Law), one which operates to make criminal or punishable, or in any way expressly to affect, acts done prior to the passing of the law.

Webster 1913

• noun the legal code of ancient Rome; codified under Justinian; the basis for many modern systems of civil law
  Justinian code; jus civile; civil law.
  

WordNet

• the system of principles and laws found in the codes and treatises of the lawmakers and jurists of ancient Rome, and incorporated more or less into the laws of the several European countries and colonies founded by them. See Civil law (above).

Webster 1913

• noun a state of order in which events conform to the law
  

WordNet

• noun the code of laws of the Salian Franks and other German tribes
  

WordNet

• . (a) A code of laws formed by the Salian Franks in the fifth century. By one provision of this code women were excluded from the inheritance of landed property. (b) Specifically, in modern times, a law supposed to be a special application of the above-mentioned provision, in accordance with which males alone can inherit the throne. This law has obtained in France, and at times in other countries of Europe, as Spain.

Webster 1913

• noun a graduate school offering study leading to a law degree
  law school.
  

WordNet

• noun the rate of change of momentum is proportional to the imposed force and goes in the direction of the force
  Newton's second law; Newton's second law of motion.
  

WordNet

• noun a law stating that mechanical work can be derived from a body only when that body interacts with another at a lower temperature; any spontaneous process results in an increase of entropy
  

WordNet

• noun the body of laws governing the issuance and selling of securities
  

WordNet

• noun an English barrister of the highest rank
  serjeant; sergeant-at-law; sergeant.
  

WordNet

• noun an English barrister of the highest rank
  serjeant; sergeant-at-law; sergeant.
  

WordNet

• noun the code of law derived from the Koran and from the teachings and example of Mohammed
  sharia; Islamic law; shariah; sharia law.
  
  • sharia is only applicable to Muslims
  • under Islamic law there is no separation of church and state

WordNet

• noun the code of law derived from the Koran and from the teachings and example of Mohammed
  sharia; Islamic law; shariah; sharia law.
  
  • sharia is only applicable to Muslims
  • under Islamic law there is no separation of church and state

WordNet

• noun English general during World War II; won victories over Rommel in North Africa and led British ground forces in the invasion of Normandy (1887-1976)
  Bernard Law Montgomery; 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein; Montgomery.
  

WordNet

• noun the sister of your spouse
  

WordNet

Sis"ter-in-law` noun

Wordforms

Definitions

1. The sister of one's husband or wife; also, the wife of one's brother; sometimes, the wife of one's husband's or wife's brother.

Webster 1913

• noun humorous axiom stating that anything that can go wrong will go wrong
  Murphy's Law.
  

WordNet

• noun the husband of your daughter
  

WordNet

Son"-in-law` noun

Wordforms

Definitions

1. The husband of one's daughter; a man in his relationship to his wife's parents.

   To take me as for thy son in lawe. Chaucer.

Webster 1913

• noun a law describing sound changes in the history of a language
  

WordNet

• an act of the legislature which has reference to a particular person, place, or interest; in distinction from a general law.

Webster 1913

• noun law enacted by a legislative body
  legislation.
  

WordNet

• the law as stated in statutes or positive enactments of the legislative body.

Webster 1913

• noun the body of laws created by legislative statutes
  

WordNet

• noun (psychophysics) the concept that the magnitude of a subjective sensation increases proportional to a power of the stimulus intensity
  Stevens' law; power law.
  

WordNet

• noun (psychophysics) the concept that the magnitude of a subjective sensation increases proportional to a power of the stimulus intensity
  Stevens' law; power law.
  

WordNet

• laws intended to restrain or limit the expenditure of citizens in apparel, food, furniture, etc.; laws which regulate the prices of commodities and the wages of labor; laws which forbid or restrict the use of certain articles, as of luxurious apparel.

Webster 1913

• . See under Sumptuary.

Webster 1913

• government by the sword, or by force; violence. Milton.

Webster 1913

• noun the body of laws governing taxation
  

WordNet

• noun action and reaction are equal and opposite
  Newton's third law of motion; Newton's third law; law of action and reaction.
  

WordNet

• noun law stating that the entropy of a substance approaches zero as its temperature approaches absolute zero
  

WordNet

• to seek a settlement of any matter by bringing it before the courts of law; to sue or prosecute some one.

Webster 1913

• (Old Law), to adduce proof to clear one's self of a charge.

Webster 1913

• to bring the law to bear upon; as, to take the law of one's neighbor. Addison.

Webster 1913

• (Law), to give security to make one's law. See Wager of law, under Wager, n.

Webster 1913

• noun law based on customary behavior
  unwritten law.
  

WordNet

• . Cf. L. lex non scripta. That part of the law of England and of the United States which is not derived from express legislative enactment, or at least from any enactment now extant and in force as such. This law is now generally contained in the reports of judicial decisions. See Common law, under Common.

Webster 1913

• noun law based on customary behavior
  unwritten law.
  

WordNet

• such laws as have been handed down by tradition or in song. Such were the laws of the early nations of Europe.

Webster 1913

• noun a qualification of Grimm's law
  

WordNet

• (Law), the giving of gage, or sureties, by a defendant in an action of debt, that at a certain day assigned he would take a law, or oath, in open court, that he did not owe the debt, and at the same time bring with him eleven neighbors (called compurgators), who should avow upon their oaths that they believed in their consciences that he spoke the truth.

Webster 1913

• noun (psychophysics) the concept that a just-noticeable difference in a stimulus is proportional to the magnitude of the original stimulus
  
  • Weber's law explains why you don't notice your headlights are on in the daytime

WordNet

• noun (psychophysics) the concept that the magnitude of a subjective sensation increases proportional to the logarithm of the stimulus intensity; based on early work by E. H. Weber
  Fechner's law.
  

WordNet

• laws deriving their force from express legislative enactment, as contradistinguished from unwritten, or common, law. See the Note under Law, and Common law, under Common, a.

Webster 1913

• noun the law that if two bodies are in thermal equilibrium with a third body then the first two bodies are in thermal equilibrium with each other
  

WordNet