Warning
Info
Warning
Info
Simple English definitions for legal terms
usus
Read a random definition: canon of construction
A quick definition of usus:
Term: USUS
Definition: Usus is a Latin word that means the right to use someone else's property without getting the benefits from it. It was a personal servitude that gave the holder a right in rem. It was also the factual possession required for usucapio and the lapse of time by which a wife was brought into the husband's family and under his marital power. For example, if a man lived with a woman whom he treated as his wife, but whom he had not married by coemptio (or confarreatio), and the cohabitation lasted without interruption for a year, then at the end of that period the man acquired power over the woman as his wife, she passed to him in manum.
A more thorough explanation:
USUS
Usus is a Latin term that refers to the right to use someone else's property without having the right to the produce or profits of that property. It was a personal servitude that gave the holder a right in rem. Usus was also the factual possession required for usucapio, which is the legal concept of acquiring ownership of property through continuous possession over a period of time. In addition, usus was the lapse of time by which a wife was brought into the husband's family and under his marital power.
An example of usus is when a person is allowed to use their neighbor's land to access their own property, but they cannot use the land to grow crops or harvest any resources from it. Another example is when a person lives with someone as if they were married, but they have not gone through the formal process of getting married. If they live together for a year without interruption, the person acquires power over the other person as their spouse through usus.
These examples illustrate how usus is a limited right to use someone else's property without having ownership or control over it. It is a personal servitude that gives the holder a right in rem, but it does not allow them to profit from the property. Usus is also a legal concept that applies to the acquisition of property through continuous possession over time, whether it is a physical object or a person in the case of marital power.