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Webster 1913 Edition

Presentment

Pre-sent′ment

,
Noun.
1.
The act of presenting, or the state of being presented; presentation.
“ Upon the heels of my presentment.”
Shak.
2.
Setting forth to view; delineation; appearance; representation; exhibition.
Power to cheat the eye with blear illusion,
And give it false
presentment
.
Milton.
3.
(Law)
(a)
The notice taken by a grand jury of any offence from their own knowledge or observation, without any bill of indictment laid before them,
as, the
presentment
of a nuisance, a libel, or the like
; also, an inquisition of office and indictment by a grand jury; an official accusation presented to a tribunal by the grand jury in an indictment, or the act of offering an indictment; also, the indictment itself.
(b)
The official notice (formerly required to be given in court) of the surrender of a copyhold estate.
Blackstone.
Presentment of a bill of exchange
,
the offering of a bill to the drawee for acceptance, or to the acceptor for payment. See
Bill of exchange
, under
Bill
.
Mozley & W.

Webster 1828 Edition

Presentment

PRESENT'MENT

,
Noun.
s as z. The act of presenting.
1.
Appearance to the view; representation.
2.
In law, a presentment, properly speaking, is the notice taken by a grand jury of any offense from their own knowledge or observation, without any bill of indictment laid before them at the suit of the king; as the presentment of a nuisance, a libel or the like, on which the officer of the court must afterwards frame an indictment, before the party presented can be put to answer it.
3.
In a more general sense, presentment comprehends inquisitions of office and indictments.
In the United States, a presentment is an official accusation presented to a tribunal by the grand jury in an indictment; or it is the act of offering an indictment. It is also used for the indictment itself. The grand jury are charged to inquire and due presentment make of all crimes, &c. The use of the word is limited to accusations by grand jurors.
4.
The official notice in court which the jury or homage gives of the surrender of a copyhold estate.

Definition 2024

presentment

presentment

English

Noun

presentment ‎(plural presentments)

  1. (law) A statement made on oath by a jury. [from 15th c.]
    • 1993, Peter Kolchin, American Slavery, Penguin History, paperback edition, page 62:
      In 1771, a grand jury presentment in Georgia revealed that "Slaves are permitted to rent houses [...]."
  2. (law) The notice taken by a grand jury of any offence from their own knowledge or observation, without any bill of indictment laid before them.
    the presentment of a nuisance, a libel, etc.
  3. (ecclesiastical law) A formal complaint submitted to a bishop or archdeacon. [from 16th c.]
    • 1991, Raymond Grant, The Royal Forests of England, Alan Sutton 1991:
      He recognised that there was general resentment of the oppressive conduct of the Forest officers, and made provision for regular inquiries into it, and for presentment of Forest offences to be made at the attachment courts, as a procedure preliminary to the Forest Eyre.
  4. The act of presenting something for acceptance; now specifically, presenting something (e.g. a bill or cheque) for payment. [from 16th c.]
    • 2000, Sarah Rose, "The Truth about Online Banking", Money, vol. 29.4:
      When online bill presentment, which removes all the paperwork, becomes widespread, says McKinsey's Stephenson, online banking will be far more compelling.
  5. (now rare) An artistic representation; a picture. [from 16th c.]
    • 1923, "Arts: In Washington", Time, 21 Dec 1923:
      Noted among the who's-who in portraiture: Hopkinson's Secretary Hughes, Childe Hassam's Governor Alfred E. Smith, of New York, Edmund C. Tarbell's Mary at the Harpsichord, Lillian Westcott Hale's child portrait study of Brothers, Frank Benson's Girl in Blue Jacket, and Marion Boyd Allen's presentment of Anna Vaughn Hyatt.
  6. Presentation of a performance, as of a play or work of music. [from 17th c.]
  7. (now rare) The aspect or form in which something presents itself; appearance. [from 17th c.]
    • 1851, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick:
      But it was especially the aspect of the three chief officers of the ship, the mates, which was most forcibly calculated to allay these colourless misgivings, and induce confidence and cheerfulness in every presentment of the voyage.
  8. The official notice (formerly required to be given in court) of the surrender of a copyhold estate.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Blackstone to this entry?)

Derived terms

Old French

Etymology

presenter +‎ -ment.

Noun

presentment m ‎(oblique plural presentmenz or presentmentz, nominative singular presentmenz or presentmentz, nominative plural presentment)

  1. presentation (act of presenting, of showing)
  2. presentation (that which is presented, is given)

Descendants

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman presentment, presentement, Middle French presentement, corresponding to present +‎ -ment.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /pɹɪˈzɛntmənt/

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