actus reus
/ˌaktəsˈɹeɪəs/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 1.91 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The act or acts constituting a criminal offense, as distinguished from the intentions or state of mind of the perpetrator (mens rea).
Example Sentences
- "It is hornbook criminal law that criminal offenses are defined in terms of an actus reus (criminal act) and a mens rea (criminal mind)."
- "A brute emotional reflex to the actus reus, the bad act (‘She killed her husband! Shame!’), could trigger an urge for retribution regardless of her intention."
- "Every criminal offence must contain actus reus elements. A defendant will not be liable for a criminal offence unless the actus reus of the offence is proved: Deller (1952)36 Cr app r 184. Although the vast majority of criminal offences consist of both actus reus elements and mens rea elements, some criminal offences do not require a mens rea element for every element of the actus reus."
Etymology
From Late Latin āctus reus (“guilty act”), from Latin āctus (“act”) + reus (“guilty”); after Late Latin and English mens rea.
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /ˌaktəsˈɹeɪəs/