Cognisance

3 definitions found

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  cognisance
       n : having knowledge of; "he had no awareness of his mistakes";
           "his sudden consciousness of the problem he faced";
           "their intelligence and general knowingness was
           impressive" [syn: {awareness}, {consciousness}, {cognizance},
            {knowingness}]



From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  COGNISANCE, practice. Sometimes signifies jurisdiction and judicial power, 
  an sometimes the hearing of a matter judicially. It is a term used in the 
  acknowledgment of a fine. See Vaughan's Rep. 207. 
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  COGNISANCE, pleading. Where the defendant in an action of replevin (not 
  being entitled to the distress or goods which are the subject of the 
  replevin) acknowledges the taking of the distress, and insists that such 
  taking was legal, not because he himself had a right to distrain on his own 
  account, but because he made the distress by the command of another, who had 
  a right to distrain on the goods which are the subject of the suit. Lawes on 
  Pl. 35, 36; 4 Bouv. Inst. n. 3571.