Meaning & use
juristic person
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Meanings
nouncountablelegallawformal
An organization, such as a company or charity, that the law treats as a person with rights and duties.
Grammar: Countable: say 'a juristic person' or 'juristic persons'; the plural 'persons' is common in legal writing.
Patterns
- a juristic person may do something
- treat something as a juristic person
Under this law, a juristic person may own land in its own name.
The court held that the association was a juristic person separate from its members.
A company is the most familiar kind of juristic person.
noununcountablelegallawformal
The legal status of being recognized as an entity that can sue, be sued, and hold property.
Grammar: Uncountable in this abstract use: talk about 'juristic personality' rather than counting it.
Patterns
- have juristic personality
- grant juristic personality to something
The statute grants juristic personality to registered trade unions.
Without juristic personality, the group could not sign the contract itself.
Word forms
| plural | juristic persons |
|---|
Common combinations
- legal person
- Many legal systems use 'legal person' as a broader term than 'juristic person'.
- juristic personality
- The foundation was given juristic personality by royal charter.
- artificial person
- An artificial person, such as a corporation, exists only in the eyes of the law.
- natural person
- A natural person is a human being, while a juristic person is an organization.
Synonyms and how they differ
- legal person
- A wider term covering both companies and human beings in legal contexts.
- corporation
- Names one common type of juristic person, but not every juristic person is a corporation.
- body corporate
- A formal British term for an incorporated entity; it fits company law better than general legal writing.
Opposites
Word family
- juristic adjective
- Relating to legal theory or the treatment of something in law.
- jurist noun
- An expert in law, especially a legal scholar.
- jurisprudence noun
- The theory or study of law.
Commonly confused: juristic person or juridical? juristic person or judicial?
juristic person vs juridical
Also means 'relating to law', but it describes legal processes or systems, not an entity that counts as a person.
juristic person vs judicial
Means 'relating to a court or a judge', so a 'judicial person' is not a standard term.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'juristic person' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Juristic person' is a legal status for an organization that can hold property and sue. Option 1 describes that status; the others misuse it as a personal quality, a role, or a job.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “juristic person”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.