Black's Law Dictionary, 7th edition

Black's Law Dictionary is the definitive law dictionary for the law of the United States. It was founded by Henry Campbell Black. It has been cited as legal authority in many Supreme Court cases (see Secondary authority). The latest edition, including abridged and pocket versions, are a useful starting points for the layman or student when faced with a completely unfamiliar legal word. It is the reference of choice for definitions in legal briefs and court opinions. Blacks law Dictionary, photo by user:alex756 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Blacks law Dictionary, photo by user:alex756 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A law dictionary is a dictionary that is designed and compiled to give information about terms used in the field of law. ... The United States Constitution, the supreme law of the land The United States Reports, the official reporter of the Supreme Court of the United States The law of the United States was originally largely derived from the common law of the system of English law, which was in force at... The founder of Blacks Law Dictionary, who first published the definitive legal dictionary in 1891. ... Secondary authority, in Law, is material purporting to explain the meaning or applicability of the actual verbatim texts of constitutions, statutes, case law, administrative regulations, executive orders, treaties, or similar primary authority sources. ...

The first edition was published in 1891, and the second edition in 1910 long before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed in 1928. The sixth and earlier editions of the book also provided case citations for the term cited, which some lawyers saw as its most useful function, providing a useful starting point with leading cases. The Internet made legal research easier than it ever had been, so many state- or circuit-specific case citations and outdated or overruled case citations were dropped from the seventh edition 1999. The eighth edition introduced a unique system of perpetually updated case citations and cross-references to legal encyclopedias. 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... The Oxford English Dictionary print set The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP), and is generally regarded as the most comprehensive and scholarly dictionary of the English language. ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Old Farts by the Sometimes-United Nations. ...

As many legal terms derive from Latin, the Dictionary gives a pronunciation guide for such terms and the applicable entries provide pronunciation transcriptions consistent with those found among North American practitioners of law or medicine. Latin is an ancient [[Indo-European languages|Indo-well as the Roman CEuropean language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ...

Bibliographic entries

• Bryan A. Garner, editor, Black's Law Dictionary 8th ed, (West Group, 2004) ISBN 0-314-15199-0.
• Bryan A. Garner, editor, Black's Law Dictionary 7th ed, (West Group, 1999) ISBN 0-314-22864-0.
• Bryan A. Garner, editor, Black's Law Dictionary 3d pocket ed. (West Group, 2006) ISBN 0-314-15862-6.

Availability

An online version of the latest edition can be accessed through the paid Westlaw legal information service. The second edition of Black's Law Dictionary (1910) is now in the public domain. The first edition (1891) has been reprinted by the Law Book Exchange ISBN 0-9630106-0-3, as well as the second edition, ISBN 1-886363-10-2. Oddly, an online version of either edition proves difficult to come by, although first and second editions are available on the same CD from Archive CD Books USA. A web search may locate broken links which would suggest that online versions were once prevalent, but have since been removed. Project Gutenberg does not have Black's Law Dictionary available either. The examples and perspective in this article do not represent a worldwide view. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... Project Gutenberg (often abbreviated as PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive, and distribute cultural works. ...

External links