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common law (n.)

mid-14c., "the customary and unwritten laws of England as embodied in commentaries and old cases" (see common (adj.)), as opposed to statute law. Phrase common-law marriage is attested from 1909.

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Definitions of common law from WordNet

common law (n.)
(civil law) a law established by following earlier judicial decisions;
Synonyms: case law / precedent
common law (n.)
a system of jurisprudence based on judicial precedents rather than statutory laws;
common law originated in the unwritten laws of England and was later applied in the United States
Synonyms: case law / precedent
From wordnet.princeton.edu