Black's Law Dictionary definitions of the terms and phrases of american and english jurisprudence, ancient and modern
- 4th ed. rev.
- St. Paul, MN West Publishing Co. 1968
- Lxxxv; 1882 p.
incl. ref.
The vocabulary of the law has shown corresponding change and growth. A word, in the often quoted dictum of Mr. Justice Holmes, is "the skin of a living thought", and the words of statutes and judicial opinions reflect the contemporary thinking of legislators and jurists. In order adequately to represent this thinking in the fourth edition, a patient examination was made of the thousands of opinions handed down by the appellate courts each year. Some revisions and additions have been included in this revised fourth edition. Abbreviations of common words and phrases likely to be encountered by user are explained in appropriate places throughout the main body of the work. A table of abbreviations of the titles of law reports, textbooks, and other legal literature is contained in the back of the volume and a guide to pronunciation is included in the front of the volume.