Penal action

Penal action
Penal Pe"nal, a. [L. poenalis, fr. poena punishment: cf. F. p['e]nal. See {Pain}.] Of or pertaining to punishment, to penalties, or to crimes and offenses; pertaining to criminal jurisprudence: as: (a) Enacting or threatening punishment; as, a penal statue; the penal code. (b) Incurring punishment; subject to a penalty; as, a penalact of offense. (c) Inflicted as punishment; used as a means of punishment; as, a penal colony or settlement. ``Adamantine chains and penal fire.'' --Milton. [1913 Webster]

{Penal code} (Law), a code of laws concerning crimes and offenses and their punishment.

{Penal laws}, {Penal statutes} (Law), laws prohibited certain acts, and imposing penalties for committing them.

{Penal servitude}, imprisonment with hard labor, in a prison, in lieu of transportation. [Great Brit.]

{Penal suit}, {Penal action} (Law), a suit for penalties. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • penal action — n: an action by the state or a private party that is for the purpose of imposing a statutorily prescribed penalty on one who violates a law and that is punitive rather than remedial in nature; also: a criminal prosecution Merriam Webster’s… …   Law dictionary

  • penal action — noun or penal suit : an action under a penal statute …   Useful english dictionary

  • penal action — An action founded entirely upon a statute which subjects a wrongdoer to a liability in favor of a person wronged as a punishment for the wrongful act, without limiting such liability to the actual damages suffered. 1 Am J2d Actions § 42. In a… …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • penal action — criminal act, criminal offense …   English contemporary dictionary

  • penal — pe·nal / pēn əl/ adj 1: of, relating to, or being punishment penal sanctions 2: making one (as an offender) punishable a penal offense; also: criminal (2) 3: used as a place of con …   Law dictionary

  • Penal — Pe nal, a. [L. poenalis, fr. poena punishment: cf. F. p[ e]nal. See {Pain}.] Of or pertaining to punishment, to penalties, or to crimes and offenses; pertaining to criminal jurisprudence: as: (a) Enacting or threatening punishment; as, a penal… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Penal code — Penal Pe nal, a. [L. poenalis, fr. poena punishment: cf. F. p[ e]nal. See {Pain}.] Of or pertaining to punishment, to penalties, or to crimes and offenses; pertaining to criminal jurisprudence: as: (a) Enacting or threatening punishment; as, a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Penal laws — Penal Pe nal, a. [L. poenalis, fr. poena punishment: cf. F. p[ e]nal. See {Pain}.] Of or pertaining to punishment, to penalties, or to crimes and offenses; pertaining to criminal jurisprudence: as: (a) Enacting or threatening punishment; as, a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Penal servitude — Penal Pe nal, a. [L. poenalis, fr. poena punishment: cf. F. p[ e]nal. See {Pain}.] Of or pertaining to punishment, to penalties, or to crimes and offenses; pertaining to criminal jurisprudence: as: (a) Enacting or threatening punishment; as, a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Penal statutes — Penal Pe nal, a. [L. poenalis, fr. poena punishment: cf. F. p[ e]nal. See {Pain}.] Of or pertaining to punishment, to penalties, or to crimes and offenses; pertaining to criminal jurisprudence: as: (a) Enacting or threatening punishment; as, a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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