med. jur. A French word, which signifies pregnant. 2. When a woman is pregnant, and is convicted of a capital crime, she cannot lawfully be punished till after her delivery. 3. in the English law, where a widow is suspected to feign herself with child, in order to produce a supposititious heir to the estate, the presumptive heir may have a writ de ventre inspiciendo, to examine whether she be with child or not.
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TheLaw.com Law Dictionary & Black's Law Dictionary 2nd Ed.