English

Alternative forms

• mainprize

Noun

mainprise ‎(plural mainprises)

1. (law, historical) A writ directed to the sheriff, commanding him to take sureties, called mainpernors, for the prisoner's appearance, and to let him go at large.
2. (law, historical) Deliverance of a prisoner on security for his appearance at a day.

Verb

mainprise ‎(third-person singular simple present mainprises, present participle mainprising, simple past and past participle mainprised)

1. (transitive, law) To allow (a prisoner) to go at large, on his finding sureties, or mainpernors, for his appearance on a given day.

See also

• hostageship

Old French

Alternative forms

• maynprise
• meinprise
• meynprise

Noun

mainprise f ‎(oblique plural mainprises, nominative singular mainprise, nominative plural mainprises)

1. (Anglo-Norman) mainprise

Related terms

• mainprenour
• mainprenable
• mainprenance
• mainprendre

References

• mainprise on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub
• (fr) Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (mainprise)