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champertous
Variant of champerty
champerty
definition
cham·perty (c̸ham′pər tē)
noun pl. champerties -·ties
Law an act or proceeding by which a person who is not concerned in a lawsuit makes a bargain with one of the litigants to help maintain the costs of the suit in return for a share of any proceeds: illegal in most states
Etymology: ME champartie < OFr champart, the lord's share in the crop of a tenant's land < L campi pars < campi, gen. of campus, field + pars, part: see campus & part
Related Forms:
- champertous cham′·per·tous (-təs) adjective
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