In maritime law, damage to a ship or its cargo during a voyage, or general average damage shared among all parties.
From Medieval Latin averia, possibly from Arabic 'awār (defect). The word became standard in maritime law and commerce, especially in Mediterranean trade where multiple languages influenced legal vocabulary.
When a ship hits a storm, maritime law has this concept where damages get split fairly among the ship owner, the cargo owners, and the crew—it's called 'general average,' and it created whole legal traditions trying to divvy up disaster fairly among strangers who just happen to be on the same boat!
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