Law Dictionary Definitions

bellum (bel-<<schwa>>m). [Latin] See WAR(1).[Blacks Law 8th]

belligerent,n. A country involved in a war or other armed international conflict. Cf. NEUTRAL. — belligerent,adj[Blacks Law 8th]

belligerency.Int’l law. 1. The status assumed by a nation that wages war against another nation. [Cases: War and National Emergency  1.C.J.S. War and National Defense §§ 1, 5.] 2. The quality of being belligerent; the act or state of waging war.[Blacks Law 8th]

believe,vb.1. To feel certain about the truth of; to accept as true. Cf. SUSPECT. reasonably believe.To believe (a given fact or combination of facts) under circumstances in which a reasonable person would believe. To think or suppose.[Blacks Law 8th]

belief-cluster. In critical legal studies, a group of unconnected ideas or opinions that appear tobe related when considered together in reference to a specific subject, such as racism, sexism, or religious intolerance.[Blacks Law 8th]

belief–action distinction.Constitutional law. In First Amendment law, the Supreme Court’s distinction between allowing a person to follow any chosen belief and allowing the state to intervene if necessary to protect others from the practices of that belief.[Blacks Law 8th]

Bekanntmachung im Patentblatt.[German] Patents. The date on which a Gebrauchsmuster (German petty patent) is published and made available to the public. BELIEF belief,n. A state of mind that regards the existence of something as likely or relatively certain.[Blacks Law 8th]

beige book.Slang. The popular name of the Federal Reserve’s Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District, a publication that summarizes the economic conditions in each of the 12 Federal Reserve Bank regions. • Each Federal Reserve Bank gathers information from reports submitted by bank and branch directors; through interviews with economists,…

behoof,n. Archaic. A use, profit, or advantage that is part of a conveyance < to his use and behoof>. — behoove,vb. BEIGE[Blacks Law 8th]

behavioral science.The body of disciplines (psychology, sociology, anthropology) that study human behavior.[Blacks Law 8th]