Legal Term: FAUX

Definition: French law. A falsification or fraudulent alteration or suppression of a thing by words, by writings, or by acts without either. Biret, Vocabulaire des Six Codes.

2. The crimen falsi of the civil law. Toullier says, "Le faux sentend de trois manieres: dans le sons le plus etendre, cest lalteration de la verite, avec ou sans mauvaises intentions, il est a peu pres synonyme de mensonge, dans un sens moins etendu, cest lalteration de la verite, accompagnee de dol, mutatio veritatis cum dolo facta, enfin, dans le sens etroit, ou plutot legal du mot, quand il sagit de savoir si le faux est un crime, le faux est Ialteration frauduleuse de la verite, dans les determines et punis par la loi." Tom. 9, n. 188. "Faux may be understood in three ways: in its most extended sense, it is the alteration of truth, with or without intention, it is nearly synonymous with lying, in a less extended sense, it is the alteration of truth, accompanied with fraud, mutatio veritatis cum dolo facta, and lastly, in a narrow, or rather the legal sense of the word, when it is a question to know if the faux be a crime, it is the fraudulent alteration of the truth, in those cases ascertained and punished by the law." See Crimen Falsi.

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