Archaic legal term referring to the unlawful promotion or brokering of lawsuits, or the fee paid for such services.
From Old French 'brocage,' related to 'brocar' (to push forward or promote). It entered English legal vocabulary to describe illegitimate intermediaries who profited from arranging litigation for others.
In medieval and early modern England, 'brocage' was such a serious problem that laws specifically prohibited it! Unscrupulous people would encourage poor people to sue just to get a percentage of damages—it was ancient ambulance-chasing.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.