Stat"ute (?), n. [F. statut, LL.
statutum, from L. statutus, p. p. of statuere to
set, station, ordain, fr. status position, station, fr.
stare, statum, to stand. See Stand, and cf.
Constitute, Destitute.] 1. An act
of the legislature of a state or country, declaring, commanding, or
prohibiting something; a positive law; the written will of the
legislature expressed with all the requisite forms of legislation; --
used in distinction fraom common law. See Common law,
under Common, a. Bouvier.
☞ Statute is commonly applied to the acts of a
legislative body consisting of representatives. In monarchies,
legislature laws of the sovereign are called edicts,
decrees, ordinances, rescripts, etc. In works on
international law and in the Roman law, the term is used as embracing
all laws imposed by competent authority. Statutes in this sense are
divided into statutes real, statutes personal, and statutes mixed;
statutes real applying to immovables; statutes personal
to movables; and statutes mixed to both classes of
property.
2. An act of a corporation or of its founder,
intended as a permanent rule or law; as, the statutes of a
university.
3. An assemblage of farming servants (held
possibly by statute) for the purpose of being hired; -- called also
statute fair. [Eng.] Cf. 3d Mop, 2.
Halliwell.
Statute book, a record of laws or legislative
acts. Blackstone. -- Statute cap, a
kind of woolen cap; -- so called because enjoined to be worn by a
statute, dated in 1571, in behalf of the trade of cappers. [Obs.]
Halliwell. -- Statute fair. See
Statute, n., 3, above. --
Statute labor, a definite amount of labor
required for the public service in making roads, bridges, etc., as in
certain English colonies. -- Statute merchant
(Eng. Law), a bond of record pursuant to the stat. 13 Edw.
I., acknowledged in form prescribed, on which, if not paid at the day,
an execution might be awarded against the body, lands, and goods of
the debtor, and the obligee might hold the lands until out of the
rents and profits of them the debt was satisfied; -- called also a
pocket judgment. It is now fallen into disuse.
Tomlins. Bouvier. -- Statute mile.
See under Mile. -- Statute of
limitations (Law), a statute assigned a certain
time, after which rights can not be enforced by action. --
Statute staple, a bond of record acknowledged
before the mayor of the staple, by virtue of which the creditor may,
on nonpayment, forthwith have execution against the body, lands, and
goods of the debtor, as in the statute merchant. It is now
disused. Blackstone.
Syn. -- Act; regulation; edict; decree. See Law.