avowries
|a-vow-ries|
/əˈvaʊriz/
(avowry)
formal claim or acknowledgement of right
Etymology
'avowry' originates from Anglo-French, specifically the word 'avouerie' (or Old French 'avouerie'), where the element 'avou-' related to declaring or acknowledging.
'avowry' changed from Old French 'avouerie' and Middle English forms such as 'avowrie' and eventually became the modern English word 'avowry' (plural 'avowries').
Initially it referred more generally to an avowal or declaration; over time the term narrowed in English legal usage to mean a specific formal plea or justification in property-related proceedings.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a legal plea in actions such as replevin or distress in which a defendant formally claims that goods taken were lawfully his or taken by his right (an avowal or justification).
During the hearing the defendant's avowries were entered into the court record.
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Noun 2
(archaic) An open acknowledgement or declaration (general sense of an avowal).
The pamphlet contained several avowries of belief by its author.
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Last updated: 2025/12/03 18:18