Word of the Week

Ejusdem Generis

Latin for "of the same kind." This is a legal rule for interpreting legal documents and statutes. Such rules are also known as "canons of construction" (see my earlier post on canons of construction in environmental law). The basic idea is that if words belonging to a certain genus are followed by more general words, then the general words are assumed to describe only things belonging to the same genus. So if Mr. Smith's bequeaths "my Ford, Buick and other vehicles" to his nephew, a court would probably conclude that his bequest did not include his private airplane (even though an airplane could be a "vehicle").