A common law action or legal claim to recover personal property wrongfully detained or withheld by another person.
From Anglo-Norman French detenue, past participle of detenir 'to hold back,' from Latin detinere. This legal term emerged in medieval English law and became standardized in property law.
Detinue was the medieval legal solution to an everyday problem: someone won't give back your stuff. Think of it as the formal legal mechanism that existed before small claims courts—a noble could file detinue against someone illegally holding his horse or property.
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