T E R 



T E K 



courts at common law. In contradiftindtion to ihcle, the 

 rcil of the year is called •vacation. 



Of thefe terms there are four in every year, during which 

 time matters of juftice are difpatched. 



/^/7«rv term, which, at London, begins the 23d of Janu- 

 ary, or if that be Sunday, the next day after ; and ends the 

 I2tli of February following. 



Eajter term, which begins the Wednefday fortnight after 

 Eafter-day, and ends the Monday next after Afcenfion-day. 

 Trinity term, beginning the Friday next after Trinity- 

 Sunday, and ending the Wednefday fortnight after. 



Michaehias term, whicli begins the 6th of November, 

 and ends the 28th of November following. 



Each of thcfc terms has alfo their returns ; which fee. 

 Thefe terms are fuppofcd by Mr. Selden to have been in- 

 ftituted by William the Conqueror ; but fir H. Spelman hath 

 fhewn, that they were gradually formed from the canonical 

 conftitutions of the church ; being no other than thofe leifure 

 feafons of the year, which were not occupied by the great 

 fcftivals or f.ifts, or which were not liable to the general 

 avocations of rural bufmcfs. Throughout all Chriftendcr.i, 

 in very early times, the whole year was one continued term 

 for hearing and deciding of caufes. For the Chriftian magi- 

 ftrates, in order to diftinguifh themfelves from the Heathens, 

 who were very fuperftitious in the obfervation of their dies 

 fajli and nejajli, adminiftered juftice upon all days alike ; till 

 at length the church interpofed, and exempted certain holy 

 feafons from being profaned by the tumult of forenfic liti- 

 gations ; as, particularly, the time of Advent and Chriftmas, 

 which gave rife to the winter vacation ; the time of Lent 

 and Eailer, which created that in the fpring ; the time of 

 Peatecoft, which produced the third ; and the long vacation, 

 between Midfummer and Michaelmas, which was allowed 

 for the hay-time and harveft. All Sundays alfo, and fome 

 peculiar feftivals, as the days of the Purification, Afcenfion, 

 &c. were included in the fame prohibition, which was efta- 

 blifhed by a canon of the church, A.D. 517, and fortified 

 by an imperial conftitution of the younger Theodofius, com- 

 prifed in the Theodofian code. Afterwards, when our own 

 legal conftitution was eftablifhed, the commencement and 

 duration of our law terms were appointed, with a view to 

 thefe canonical prohibitions ; and it was ordered by the laws 

 of king Edward the Confeflor, that from Advent to the 

 oftave of the Epiphany, from Septuagefima to the oftave 

 of Eafter, from the Afcenfion to the oftave of Pentecoft, 

 and from three in the afternoon of all Saturdays till Monday 

 morning, the peace of God and holy church fliall be kept 

 throughout the whole kingdom. 



And fo extravagant was afterwards the regard paid to 

 thefe holy times, that though the author of the Mirror men- 

 tions only one vacation of conliderable length, containing 

 the months of Auguft and September, yet Britton lays, that 

 in the reign of king Edward L no fecular plea could be 

 held, nor any man fworn on the Evangelills, in the time of 

 Advent, Lent, Pentecoft, harveft, and vintage, the days of 

 the great litanies, and all iolemn feftivals. He adds, that the 

 biftiops and prelates granted difpenfations for taking afiizes 

 and juries in fome of theie holy feafons, upon reafonable 

 occafions ; and foon after a general difpenfation was efta- 

 blifhed in parhament by ftat. Weftm. i. 4Edw. L cap. 51, 

 that affizes of novel difleifin, mort d'anceftor, and darrein pre- 

 fentment, fhould be taken in Advent, Septuagefima, and 

 Lent, as well as inquefts ; at the fpecial requeft of the king 

 to the bifhops. The portions of time that were not included 

 within thefe prohibited feafons, fell naturally into a fourfold 

 divifion ; and from fome feftival, or faint's day that imme- 

 diately preceded their commencement, were denominated the 



terms of St. Hilary, of Eafter, of the Holy Trinity, and of 

 St. Michael : which terms have been fince regulated and 

 abbreviated by feveral afts of parliament ; particularly 

 Trinity term by ftat. 32 Hen. VHL c. 2. and Michael- 

 mas term by llat. 16 Car. L c. 6. and again by ftat. 

 24 Geo. n. c. 38. Blackft. Com. vol. iii. 



Terms, Oxford. Hilary or Lent term begins January 

 14th, and ends the Saturday before Palni-Sunday. 

 Eafter term begins the tenth day after Eafter, and end* the 

 Thnrfday before Whitfuoday. Trinity term begins ttie 

 Wednefday after Trinity-Sund.iy, and ends after th^ aft, 

 or 6th of July, fooncr or later, as the vice-chancellor and 

 convocation pleafe. Michaelmas term begins Odlober loth, 

 and ends December 17th. 



Terms, Cambridge, Lent term begins Janu.ary 14th, and 

 ends the Friday before Palm-Sunday. Eafter term begins 

 tne Wednefday after Eafter-week, and ends the week before 

 Whitfunday. Trinity term begins the Wednefday after 

 Trinity-Sunday, and ends the Friday after the commence- 

 ment, or 2d of July. Michaelmas term begins Oclobcr loth, 

 and ends December 1 6th. 



Terms, Scott'Jh. In Scotland, Candlemas term begins 

 January 23d, and ends February 12th. Whitfuntide term 

 begins May 25th, and ends June 15th. Lammas term begins 

 July 20th, and ends Auguft 8th. Martinmas term begins 

 November 3d, and ends November 29th. 



Terms, Irijh. In Ireland the terms are the fame as at 

 London, except Michaelmas term, which begins Oflober 

 1 3th, and adjourns to November 3d, and thence to the 6th. 

 Term, in Grammar, denotes fome word or expreffion in 

 a language. See Word. 



The word term, terminus, is borrowed metaphorically, by 

 the grammarians and philofophers, from the meafurers or 

 furveyors of lands : as a field is defined and diftinguiftied by 

 its termini, or limits, fo is a thing or matter fpoken of, by the 

 word or term by which it is denoted. 



Term, in the jlrts, or Term of Jlrt, is a word which, be- 

 fides the literal and popular meaning which it has, or may 

 have, in common language, bears a farther and peculiar mean- 

 ing in fome art or fcience. See Art. 



Or, a term is a word which has one or more meanings 

 befide its grammatical one ; or which has a peculiar force or 

 import in the language of fome particular fcience or art. 



A word then becomes a term when its idea is rendered 

 more complex, confifts of more parts, and includes more 

 fpecial circumftances, on fome occafions than others. 



It is this greater complexnefs, this excefs of conftituent 

 parts of the idea, that denominates it a term in the general. 

 Farther, as the parts of the idea, fignified by any word, are 

 arbitrary ; and as one may not only add new parts to thofe 

 contained in the literal meaning, but alfo fuperadd others 

 to them, alter them, extend them, and otherwife modify 

 them at pleafure ; hence the fame word becomes a term of 

 this or that art, or both, as the inventors or improvers of 

 thofe arts have thought fit to adopt it for the common balis 

 of certain ideas, and to modify and circumftantiate its 

 meaning to the ufe of their refpedlive arts. See De- 



IINITION. 



Terms, abflraS, complex, concrete, equivalent, equivocal, ge- 

 neral, relative, fynonimous, univocal. See the adjeftives. 



Term, in Logic. A propofition is faid to confift of two 

 terms, i. e. two principal and elTential words, the fuijecf and 

 the attribute. 



A fyllogifm confifts of throe terms, the major, minor, ar.d 

 conclufion. See Syllogism. 



Terms of an Equation, in Algebra. See Equation. 



Terms of Proportion, in Mathematics, are fuch numbers, 



letters. 



