Legal Term: TO ABRIDGE

Definition: practice. To make shorter in words, so as to retain the sense or substance. In law it signifies particularly the making of a declaration or count shorter, by taking or severing away some of the substance from it. Brook, tit. Abridgment ment, Com. Dig. Abridgment, 1 Vin. Ab. 109. 2. Abridgment of the Plaint is allowed even after verdict and before judgment (Booth on R. A.) in an cases of real actions where the writ is de lib. ten. generally, as in assize, dower, &c., because, after the abridgment the writ is still true, it being liberum tenementum still. But it is not allowed in a proecipe quod reddat, demanding a certain number of acres, for this would falsify the writ. See 2 Saund. 44, (n.) 4 , Bro. Abr. Tit. Abr., 12 Levin"s Ent. 76, 2 Saund. 330, Gilb. C. P. 249-253, Thel. Dig. 76, c. 28, pl. 15, lib. 8.

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