Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

tenure, in law

(Encyclopedia)tenure, in law, manner in which property in land is held. The nature of tenure has long been of great importance, both in law and in the broader economic and political context. Tenure has varied great...

Bonar Law, Andrew

(Encyclopedia)Bonar Law, Andrew: see Law, Andrew Bonar. ...

rape, in law

(Encyclopedia)rape, in law, the crime of sexual relations, often specifically sexual intercourse, without the consent of the victim, often through force or threat of violence. The victim is deemed legally incapable...

sale, in law

(Encyclopedia)sale, in law, transfer of ownership in return for money. An exchange of goods for goods is termed barter, but the distinction between sale and barter is mainly technical; laws that govern one govern t...

proof, in law

(Encyclopedia)proof, in law: see evidence.

electrostatics

(Encyclopedia)electrostatics, study of phenomena associated with charged bodies at rest (see charge; electricity). A charged body has an excess of positive or negative charges, a condition usually brought about by ...

farad

(Encyclopedia)farad fărˈəd [key] [for Michael Faraday], unit of electrical capacitance, equivalent to 1 coulomb of stored charge per volt of applied potential difference. ...

diminishing returns, law of

(Encyclopedia)diminishing returns, law of, in economics, law stating that if one factor of production is increased while the others remain constant, the overall returns will relatively decrease after a certain poin...

due process of law

(Encyclopedia)due process of law: see Fourteenth Amendment. ...

Institute of International Law

(Encyclopedia)Institute of International Law, Fr., Institut de Droit International, private international organization, est. 1873 in Ghent, Belgium, dedicated to the study, development, and implementation of intern...