Cassate

/kæˈseɪt/ verb

Definition

A legal term meaning to annul, quash, or invalidate a judgment or court decision; to reverse or void in law.

Etymology

From Medieval Latin 'cassare' (to break, annul), possibly from Latin 'cassus' (empty, void). The term was used in ecclesiastical law before entering secular legal terminology in English.

Kelly Says

Cassate is one of those legal words that sounds archaic because courts now prefer 'reverse' or 'annul,' but it survives in formal legal Latin phrases used in international law, making it a linguistic holdover from when Latin was the language of European legal systems.

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