the learned profession that is mastered by graduate study in a law school and that is responsible for the judicial system; "he studied law at Yale"
a rule or body of rules of conduct inherent in human nature and essential to or binding upon human society
a generalization that describes recurring facts or events in nature; "the laws of thermodynamics"
legal document setting forth rules governing a particular kind of activity; "there is a law against kidnapping"
the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"
marked by utter benignity; resembling or befitting an angel or saint; "angelic beneficence"; "a beatific smile"; "a saintly concern for his fellow men"; "my sainted mother"
having a sweet nature befitting an angel or cherub; "an angelic smile"; "a cherubic face"; "looking so seraphic when he slept"; "a sweet disposition"
(used of things) lacking sense or awareness; "fine innocent weather"
lacking intent or capacity to injure; "an innocent prank"
free from evil or guilt; "an innocent child"; "the principle that one is innocent until proved guilty"
lacking in sophistication or worldliness; "a child's innocent stare"; "his ingenuous explanation that he would not have burned the church if he had not thought the bishop was in it"
the weather in some location averaged over some long period of time; "the dank climate of southern Wales"; "plants from a cold clime travel best in winter"
the prevailing psychological state; "the climate of opinion"; "the national mood had changed radically since the last election"
a collection of books accepted as holy scripture especially the books of the Bible recognized by any Christian church as genuine and inspired
a complete list of saints that have been recognized by the Roman Catholic Church
a rule or especially body of rules or principles generally established as valid and fundamental in a field or art or philosophy; "the neoclassical canon"; "canons of polite society"
a contrapuntal piece of music in which a melody in one part is imitated exactly in other parts
inducement (as of a public official) by improper means (as bribery) to violate duty (as by commiting a felony); "he was held on charges of corruption and racketeering"
destroying someone's (or some group's) honesty or loyalty; undermining moral integrity; "corruption of a minor"; "the big city's subversion of rural innocence"
moral perversion; impairment of virtue and moral principles; "the luxury and corruption among the upper classes"; "moral degeneracy followed intellectual degeneration"; "its brothels, its opium parlors, its depravity"; "Rome had fallen into moral putrefaction"
a basic truth or law or assumption; "the principles of democracy"
a rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the function of a complex system; "the principle of the conservation of mass"; "the principle of jet propulsion"; "the right-hand rule for inductive fields"
a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct; "their principles of composition characterized all their works"
a rule or standard especially of good behavior; "a man of principle"; "he will not violate his principles"