Decapitation
the act of beheading a person, usually instantly such as with a large and heavy
knife or by guillotine, as a form of capital punishment.
Decedent
an individual who has died
Decree Absolute
name given to a final and conclusive court order
after the condition of an interim or intervening order (decree nisi) is
met
Decree Nisi
provisional decision of a court which does not have force or effect until a
certain condition is met such as another petition brought before the court or
after the passage of a period of time
Deed
written and signed document which sets out the
things that have to be done or recognitions of the parties towards a certain
object
Deem
to accept a document or an event as conclusive of a certain status in the
absence of evidence or facts which would normally be required to prove that
status
Defalcation
1. defaulting on a debt or other obligation such to account for public or trust
funds; usually used in the context of public officials. 2. defalcation has
another legal meaning referring to the setting-off of two debts owed between two
people by the agreement to a new amount representing the balance
Defamation
an attack on the good reputation of a person, by slander or libel
Defamatory Libel
deliberate publication of defamatory lies which
the publisher knows to be false
Defeasance
side-contract which contains a condition which,
if realized, could defeat the main contract