chance-medley
/'tʃɑ:ns,medli/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. An unpremeditated killing of a human being in self-defense: In legal terminology, this refers to the act of killing another person without prior planning or malice, typically in a sudden fight or confrontation where one acts in self-defense. It is distinguished from murder by the lack of premeditation and the presence of mitigating circumstances like provocation or self-preservation.
Examples of Usage
- Noun:
- The court ruled the death a case of chance-medley, as the defendant acted in the heat of the moment to protect himself.
- In old common law, chance-medley was a partial defense that could reduce a charge from murder to manslaughter.
Advanced Usage
- Legal Doctrine: The term is primarily used in historical or formal legal contexts to describe a specific category of homicide. It is often discussed in relation to the evolution of laws concerning self-defense and manslaughter.
- The concept of chance-medley helps illustrate the legal distinction between intentional murder and killing under sudden provocation.
Variants and Related Words
- Manslaughter (n): The unlawful killing of a human being without malice aforethought. Chance-medley is a specific, archaic type of manslaughter.
- Homicide (n): The killing of one person by another. Chance-medley is a subcategory of criminal homicide.
Synonyms
- Sudden affray: A dated term for a sudden quarrel or fight that could lead to unpremeditated killing.
- Involuntary manslaughter: A modern legal term that shares conceptual ground with chance-medley, involving unintentional killing without malice.
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
(This term is a specific legal noun and does not have associated phrasal verbs.)
Related Idioms
(This term is a specific legal noun and is not commonly used in idiomatic expressions.)
Noun
- an unpremeditated killing of a human being in self defense