Latin for Lawyers

L ATIN FOR L AWYERS

RANSOM [L. redimo , redimere / to recover, redeem] The money or property demanded or paid in exchange for release of a pris oner or kidnapped person. The collection or receipt of a ransom is a federal crime. In International Law, the consideration paid by one nation to another to recover captured property, such as property seized at sea. RASURE [L. rado , radere / to scrape, shave, scratch] The act of removing or extinguishing letters or words from a written instru ment by means of scraping, scatching or shaving the surface of the document. The word is narrower than obliteration , which is the act of drawing lines or other marks through the letters or words of a document or of destroying or cutting away parts or all of the document; but the distinction is not always observed. See OBLITERATE RATABLE [L. reor, reri / to reckon, think, judge; a reckoning or accounting; computation] Anything which can be estimated or scheduled when compared with other objects of the same class or description having a common measure or stan dard; the result may be different from object to object. In the law of property, a ratable is any property which is capable of appraisal or assesment when compared to other property of the same kind or description, usually for pur poses of taxation. Taxable property. RATE [L. reri (ratio, ratus ) / a measure, computation or calculation] The numeric relationship between two things or among a number of things. A measure utilized to compare values or quantities. An amount or charge mea sured by or based upon another amount. A fixed number by which relative computations are made. Examples: the rate of interest is the percentage of the principal loaned which is charged by a lender for the use of its money; the rate of exchange is the relative value of one currency against another; the prime rate is the lowest rate of interest charged by banks to their most credit worthy customers; the legal rate is the highest rate of interest permitted by state statute or regulation.

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