CONTEMPORANEA EXPOSITIO

contemporanea expositio (k<<schwa>>n-tem-p<<schwa>>-ray-nee-<<schwa>> eks-p<< schwa>>-zish-ee-oh). [Latin “contemporaneous exposition”] The doctrine that the best meaning of a statute or document is the one given by those who enacted it or signed it, and that the meaning publicly given by contemporary or long professional usage is presumed to be the correct one, even if the language may have a popular or an etymological meaning that is very different. [Blacks Law 8th]