elegit
/ɪˈliːdʒɪt/Law
noun
1In full writ of elegit. A writ of execution by which a creditor is put in possession of all or some of the goods and lands of a debtor, until his or her claim is satisfied.
- The writ of elegit was established by the Statute of Westminster II (1285), c. 18, which specified that a creditor was entitled to all the goods (except for oxen and beasts of the plough) and half the lands of a debtor; in 1838 this was extended to all the lands, and in 1883 restricted to the lands alone. In the United Kingdom the writ was abolished by the Administration of Justice Act 1956..
2The right secured by this writ. Chiefly in by elegit.
Origin
Late Middle English; earliest use found in Rotuli Parliament. From post-classical Latin elegit, name of a writ, use as noun of classical Latin ēlēgit ‘he has chosen’, 3rd person singular perfect of ēligere to choose, so called from the first words of the writ, elegit sibi liberari: see quot. 1809 at sense 1.