Law Dictionary Definitions

greffier (gref-ee-<<schwa>>r or gref-yay), n.[Law French] Hist. A registrar, esp. of a court; the court recordkeeper [Blacks Law 8th]

  green wax.(pl.) Hist. An Exchequer order (an estreat) directing a sheriff to collect the fines and amercements listed in the order. • The name derives from the color of the wax that the Exchequer used on the estreat to certify its authenticity. See ESTREAT(1). [Blacks Law 8th]

  Green River ordinance.A local licensing law that protects residents from unwanted peddlers and salespersons, typically by prohibiting door-to-door solicitations without prior consent. • The ordinance takes its name from Green River, Wyoming, which enacted the first such law in the early 20th century before others came into vogue during the 1930s and 1940s throughout…

  Green Paper on Copyright and the Challenge of Technology.Copyright. A 1988 European Commission pub-lication that laid out a plan to harmonize the copyright laws of member nations, esp. laws relating to information technology. • The Green Paper was followed by a series of directives that mandated uniform policies regarding copyright and new technologies. —…

  greenmail. 1. The act or practice of buying enough stock in a company to threaten a hostile takeover and then selling the stock back to the corporation at an inflated price. 2. The money paid for stock in the corporation’s buyback. Cf. BLACKMAIL(1); FEEMAIL; GRAYMAIL. 3. A shareholder’s act of filing or threatening to…

green goods.Slang. Counterfeit money. [Blacks Law 8th]

  greenfield site. 1. Land that has never been developed. • Such land is presumably uncontaminated. Cf. BROWNFIELD SITE. 2. Property acquired as an investment, esp. for establishing a new business.  [Blacks Law 8th]

  Green Cloth.See BOARD OF GREEN CLOTH.  [Blacks Law 8th]

green-card marriage.See MARRIAGE(1). [Blacks Law 8th]

  green card.A registration card evidencing a resident alien’s status as a permanent U.S. resident. [Blacks Law 8th]