What does compurgation mean?
Definitions for compurgation
com·pur·ga·tion
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word compurgation.
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Wiktionary
compurgationnoun
A form of trial in which the defendant took an oath of his innocence and summoned twelve people to swear that they believed him
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Compurgationnoun
The practice of justifying any man’s veracity by the testimony of another.
Etymology: compurgatio, Latin.
Wikipedia
Compurgation
Compurgation, also called trial by oath, wager of law, and oath-helping, was a defence used primarily in medieval law. A defendant could establish their innocence or nonliability by taking an oath and by getting a required number of persons, typically twelve, to swear they believed the defendant's oath. The wager of law was essentially a character reference, initially by kin and later by neighbours (from the same region as the defendant), often 11 or 12 men, and it was a way to give credibility to the oath of a defendant at a time when a person's oath had more credibility than a written record. It can be compared to a legal wager, which is the provision of surety at the beginning of legal action to minimize frivolous litigation. Compurgation was found in early Germanic law, in early French law (très ancienne coutume de Bretagne), in Welsh law, and in the English ecclesiastical courts until the seventeenth century. In common law it was substantially abolished as a defence in felonies by the Constitutions of Clarendon in 1164. The defence was still permitted in civil actions for debt and vestiges of it survived until its statutory repeal at various times in common law countries: in England in 1833, and Queensland at some point before the Queensland Common Practice Act of 1867 which makes direct reference to the abolition of wager of law. "Wager of Law, obsolete for centuries" was "a living fossil ... a dead letter statute" and was abolished in England in 1833.
Webster Dictionary
Compurgationverb
the act or practice of justifying or confirming a man's veracity by the oath of others; -- called also wager of law. See Purgation; also Wager of law, under Wager
Compurgationverb
exculpation by testimony to one's veracity or innocence
Etymology: [L. compurgatio, fr. compurgare to purify wholly; com- + purgare to make pure. See Purge, v. t.]
Wikidata
Compurgation
Compurgation, also called wager of law, is a defence used primarily in medieval law. A defendant could establish his innocence or nonliability by taking an oath and by getting a required number of persons, typically twelve, to swear they believed the defendant's oath. From Latin, com = with, purgare = make clean, cleanse, excuse L. com is also an intensifier and turns a word into the superlative form, so compurgation, by etymology, means 'to thoroughly clean or excuse'. Compurgation was found in early Germanic law, in Welsh law, and in the English ecclesiastical courts until the 17th century. In common law it was substantially abolished as a defence in felonies by the Constitutions of Clarendon in 1164. The defence was still permitted in civil actions for debt and vestiges of it survived until statutory repeal at various times in common law countries, e.g. in England in 1833, and Queensland, Australia at some point before the Queensland Common Practice Act of 1867. Wager of law survived to recent centuries, and, in many jurisdictions has been repealed by statute. An example of this is the Queensland Common Law Practice Act 1867, s 3., which makes direct reference to the abolition of wager of law.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Compurgation
kom-pur-gā′shun, n. the custom, in Anglo-Saxon law, of permitting the accused to call in witnesses to prove his innocency, by joining their oaths to his: evidence in favour of the accused: vindication.—n. Com′purgator, one who testifies to the innocency or veracity of another.—adjs. Compurgatō′rial, Compur′gatory. [L. compurgāre, to purify wholly. See Purge.]
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of compurgation in Chaldean Numerology is: 6
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of compurgation in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8
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"compurgation." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 6 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/compurgation>.
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