oulter-le-mer
/ˌuːltələˈmɛː/ /ˌəʊltələˈmɛː/Law. Now historical
noun
The essoin or excuse of being beyond the sea.
- Legal dicts. from the 17th to the 19th centuries all have ouster-le-mer, e.g. Blount Law Dict. (1670), Jacobs New Law-dict. (10 eds., 1729–73), and Wharton Law Lex. (7 eds., 1848–83)..
Origin
Early 17th century; earliest use found in John Cowell (1554–1611), civil lawyer. From Law French oulter-le-mer, also ouster-le-mer, ouster le mere from Anglo-Norman oulter, oustre, variants of outre beyond + le, masculine definite article + mer.