Law Dictionary Definitions

ante factum.A thing done before; a previous act or fact. — Also spelled ante-factum. [Blacks Law 8th]

ante   exhibitionem   billae   (an-tee   ek-si-bish-ee-oh-n<<schwa>>m   bil-ee).   Before   the exhibition of the bill; i.e., before a suit has begun. [Blacks Law 8th]

antedating  of a prior-art reference.Patents. The removal  of a publication, a U.S. patent, or a foreign  patent  cited  as  prior  art  against  the  application  by  filing  an  affidavit  or  declaration establishing the applicant’s completion  of the invention  in this country, or in another NAFTA  or WTO member country, before the effective date of the cited…

antedate  (an-ti-dayt),  vb.1.  To  affix  with  a  date  earlier  than  the  true  date;  BACKDATE(1) <antedate a check>.2. To precede in time <the doctrine antedates the Smith case by many years>. — Also termed predate. Cf. POSTDATE. — antedate,n. [Blacks Law 8th]

antecessor  (an-t<<schwa>>-ses-<<schwa>>r  oran-t<<schwa>>-ses-<<schwa>>r),  n.[Latin] 1.Roman law. A professor of law. 2.Hist. An ancestor. 3.Hist. A predecessor to an office. [Blacks Law 8th]

antecedent debt.See DEBT. [Blacks Law 8th]

antecedent basis.Patents. A general word or phrase in a patent claim or description to which a later  specific  word  or  phrase  must  refer.  •  Claims  will  be  rejected  as  impermissibly  vague  or indefinite if the latter word is not clearly connected to its antecedent because the wording becomes ambiguous. In general, a term is first…

antecedent   (an-t<<schwa>>-seed-<<schwa>>nt),   adj.   Earlier;   preexisting;   previous.   — A antecedent (preceding thing), n. — antecedence (quality or fact of going before), n. [Blacks Law 8th]

antea (an-tee-<<schwa>>), adv.[Latin] Formerly; heretofore. [Blacks Law 8th]

ante (an-tee), prep. [Latin] Before. Cf. POST. [Blacks Law 8th]