MENS REA
Dictionary entry overview: What does mens rea mean?
• MENS REA (noun)
The noun MENS REA has 1 sense:
1. (law) criminal intent; the thoughts and intentions behind a wrongful act (including knowledge that the act is illegal); often at issue in murder trials
Familiarity information: MENS REA used as a noun is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
• MENS REA (noun)
Meaning:
(law) criminal intent; the thoughts and intentions behind a wrongful act (including knowledge that the act is illegal); often at issue in murder trials
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Synonyms:
malice aforethought; mens rea
Hypernyms ("mens rea" is a kind of...):
planning; preparation; provision (the cognitive process of thinking about what you will do in the event of something happening)
Domain category:
jurisprudence; law (the collection of rules imposed by authority)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mens rea"):
premeditation ((law) thought and intention to commit a crime well in advance of the crime; goes to show criminal intent)
