• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / How did the Expression “Possession is Nine-Tenths of the Law” Originate and What does it Mean?

How did the Expression “Possession is Nine-Tenths of the Law” Originate and What does it Mean?

April 15, 2020 by Karen Hill

The expression “possession is nine-tenths of the law” is from the eighteenth century.

How did the Expression

The old adage means that in the pursuit of justice possession in a dispute over property outweighs these nine other essential elements of a good court case.

A lot of money, a lot of patience, a good cause, a good lawyer, good counsel, good witnesses, a good jury, a good judge, and good luck.

Property law governs valuable things that people call their own.

Real property, also called “real estate” refers to ownership of land and objects attached to it.

In common law, adverse possession is the process by which title to a person’s property is acquired without compensation.

Related Facts

  • Where does the term cat-o’-nine-tails come from and What does cat-o’-nine-tails mean?
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed Our Lives Forever
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed the World
  • What Does the Expression “The Whole Nine Yards” Mean and How Did the Phrase Originate?
  • What Does the Expression “Seventh Heaven” Mean and How Did the Phrase “Cloud Nine” Originate?
  • When did Louisiana belong to France and How did Spain claim possession of Louisiana in the 1700s?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Who Invented the Yard and How Did the Unit of Measurement Originate?
Next Post: How did the Term “Ivy League” Originate, Where did it Come From, and What does it Mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy