Meaning & use
Oyer
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In law, the right of a party to hear or have read aloud a document on which a legal case relies; historically also part of the phrase 'oyer and terminer,' a commission to hear and decide criminal cases.
See it in a sentence
The defense demanded oyer of the indictment before entering a plea.
Courts of oyer and terminer were once convened to try serious criminal offenses.
A note on using this word
From the Anglo-French word for 'to hear,' a relic of the Law French once used in English courts.
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