gravamen


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gra·va·men

 (grə-vā′mən)
n. pl. gra·va·mens or gra·vam·i·na (-văm′ə-nə) Law
The main claim or most important aspect of a complaint against a defendant.

[Medieval Latin gravāmen, injury, accusation, from Late Latin, encumbrance, obligation, from Latin gravāre, to burden, from gravis, heavy; see grave2.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

gravamen

(ɡrəˈveɪmɛn)
n, pl -vamina (-ˈvæmɪnə)
1. (Law) law that part of an accusation weighing most heavily against an accused
2. (Law) law the substance or material grounds of a complaint
3. a rare word for grievance
[C17: from Late Latin: trouble, from Latin gravāre to load, from gravis heavy; see grave2]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

gra•va•men

(grəˈveɪ mən)

n., pl. -vam•i•na (-ˈvæm ə nə)
the part of an accusation weighing most heavily against the accused.
[1595–1605; < Late Latin: trouble, physical inconvenience = Latin gravā(re) to load, weigh down (derivative of gravis heavy, burdened) + -men n. suffix]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

gravamen

a grievance, especially one that is the cause of a legal action.
See also: Discontent
-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

gravamen

noun
Law. The most central and material part:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations

gravamen

n. agravio, motivo de queja.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
References in periodicals archive ?
'Clearly the gravamen of the charge in SB-17-CRM-1762 for violation of Sec.
'The gravamen originates from notification(s) dated December 27, 2013, and December 15, 2014, issued by the then-K-P assembly speaker Asad Qaiser.
The DOJ, citing the prosecutors, said that the 'gravamen' or the most serious part of allegation in the charge of conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading is the 'agreement to trade in drugs.'
"The real gravamen of these offences is not your conduct but the impact on those who appear in those images."
GRAVAMEN A Carved in stone B Essential part of an accusation C Person holding office who am I?
(11) Part III.c provides a discussion of the gravamen standard, which some courts use as their method of choice.