Roman Law and the Legal World of the Romans

glossary

Sui iuris . “Of one’s own right.” Said of a person not under the power of a pater familias , whether because the pater is dead or because the son/daughter has been emancipated. (Thus any pater familias is sui iuris , but not the other way around; a woman can be sui iuris as well.) Testatio . A written affidavit presented to a court instead of, or in addition to, oral testimony. Title. Another term for ownership, sometimes used generally, sometimes to contrast title with more specific rights that could be redistributed. For instance, a modern landlord has title to his buildings, even if his rights to enter or modify them are limited. The Latin equivalent is dominium . Usucapio . Acquisition of title by holding onto a piece of property for a set period of time with good justification. This is relevant only in the case of res mancipi that have been sold or given away, but without the formal ritual technically required to transfer ownership. Usufruct. The right to use a property and collect profits derived from it. One has to be given usufruct by the owner of the prop erty, typically as a legacy in a will. The title remains separate, and all rights revert to the owner when the holder of the usu fruct dies. Vindicatio . An action to claim ownership of a piece of property.

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