- gravamen
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gra·va·men /grə-'vā-mən/ n [Medieval Latin, from Late Latin, burden, from Latin gravare to burden, from gravis heavy, grave]: gist
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.
- gravamen
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I
noun
burden of a charge, cardinal point, center, central point, content, core, cornerstone, crux, essence, essence of a grievance, essential matter, essential part, essential point, focal point, gist, gist of a charge, grievance, key, keystone, main point, material part, material point, nucleus, pith, pivotal point, principal part, root, salient point, sine qua non, spirit, substance, substantial cause, substantial part of a complaint, sum and substance, thrust
associated concepts: gravamen of a complaint
II
index
center (essence), content (meaning), cornerstone, gist (ground for a suit), impugnation, main point
Burton's Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006
- gravamen
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n.The essence or most serious part of a complaint, cause of action, charge, etc.
The Essential Law Dictionary. — Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008.
- gravamen
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The essential element of a lawsuit. For example, the gravamen of a lawsuit involving a car accident might be the careless driving (negligence) of the defendant.Category: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits
Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009.
- gravamen
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n. The substance or core argument of a legal document or position taken.
Webster's New World Law Dictionary. Susan Ellis Wild. 2000.
- gravamen
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The basis or essence of a grievance; the issue upon which a particular controversy turns.
Dictionary from West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005.
- gravamen
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The basis or essence of a grievance; the issue upon which a particular controversy turns.
Short Dictionary of (mostly American) Legal Terms and Abbreviations.
- gravamen
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n.Latin for "to weigh down," the basic gist of every claim (cause of action) or charge in a complaint filed to begin a lawsuit. Example: in an accident case, the gravamen may be the negligence of the defendant, and in a contract case, it may be the breach of the defendant.
Law dictionary. EdwART. 2013.