Chose in action

Chose in action
Action Ac"tion, n. [OF. action, L. actio, fr. agere to do. See {Act}.] 1. A process or condition of acting or moving, as opposed to rest; the doing of something; exertion of power or force, as when one body acts on another; the effect of power exerted on one body by another; agency; activity; operation; as, the action of heat; a man of action. [1913 Webster]

One wise in council, one in action brave. --Pope. [1913 Webster]

2. An act; a thing done; a deed; an enterprise. (pl.): Habitual deeds; hence, conduct; behavior; demeanor. [1913 Webster]

The Lord is a Good of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. --1 Sam. ii. 3. [1913 Webster]

3. The event or connected series of events, either real or imaginary, forming the subject of a play, poem, or other composition; the unfolding of the drama of events. [1913 Webster]

4. Movement; as, the horse has a spirited action. [1913 Webster]

5. (Mech.) Effective motion; also, mechanism; as, the breech action of a gun. [1913 Webster]

6. (Physiol.) Any one of the active processes going on in an organism; the performance of a function; as, the action of the heart, the muscles, or the gastric juice. [1913 Webster]

7. (Orat.) Gesticulation; the external deportment of the speaker, or the suiting of his attitude, voice, gestures, and countenance, to the subject, or to the feelings. [1913 Webster]

8. (Paint. & Sculp.) The attitude or position of the several parts of the body as expressive of the sentiment or passion depicted. [1913 Webster]

9. (Law) (a) A suit or process, by which a demand is made of a right in a court of justice; in a broad sense, a judicial proceeding for the enforcement or protection of a right, the redress or prevention of a wrong, or the punishment of a public offense. (b) A right of action; as, the law gives an action for every claim. [1913 Webster]

10. (Com.) A share in the capital stock of a joint-stock company, or in the public funds; hence, in the plural, equivalent to stocks. [A Gallicism] [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

The Euripus of funds and actions. --Burke. [1913 Webster]

11. An engagement between troops in war, whether on land or water; a battle; a fight; as, a general action, a partial action. [1913 Webster]

12. (Music) The mechanical contrivance by means of which the impulse of the player's finger is transmitted to the strings of a pianoforte or to the valve of an organ pipe. --Grove. [1913 Webster]

{Chose in action}. (Law) See {Chose}.

{Quantity of action} (Physics), the product of the mass of a body by the space it runs through, and its velocity. [1913 Webster]

Syn: {Action}, {Act}.

Usage: In many cases action and act are synonymous; but some distinction is observable. Action involves the mode or process of acting, and is usually viewed as occupying some time in doing. Act has more reference to the effect, or the operation as complete.

To poke the fire is an act, to reconcile friends who have quarreled is a praiseworthy action. --C. J. Smith. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • chose in action — see chose Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. chose in action …   Law dictionary

  • Chose in action — Chose Chose, n.; pl. {Choses}. [F., fr. L. causa cause, reason. See {Cause}.] (Law) A thing; personal property. [1913 Webster] {Chose in action}, a thing of which one has not possession or actual enjoyment, but only a right to it, or a right to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • chose in action — The right of property in intangible things which are not in one s possession, but that are enforcible through legal or Court action, such as debts, insurance claims, shares in a company, pensions and salaries. (Dictionary of Canadian Bankruptcy… …   Glossary of Bankruptcy

  • chose in action — Etymology: chose (II) 1. : any right to a personal as opposed to a real thing that is not in one s possession or actual enjoyment but is recoverable by suit at law; especially : any right to an act or forbearance (as in case of debts, stocks,… …   Useful english dictionary

  • chose in action — A right of proceeding in a court of law to obtain a sum of money or to recover damages. Examples include rights under an insurance policy, a debt, and rights under a contract. A chose in action is a form of property and can be assigned, sold,… …   Big dictionary of business and management

  • chose in action — A thing in action; a right of bringing an action or right to recover a debt or money. Right of proceeding in a court of law to procure payment of sum of money, or right to recover a personal chattel or a sum of money by action. Gregory v. Colvin …   Black's law dictionary

  • chose in action — A thing in action; a right of bringing an action or right to recover a debt or money. Right of proceeding in a court of law to procure payment of sum of money, or right to recover a personal chattel or a sum of money by action. Gregory v. Colvin …   Black's law dictionary

  • chose in action — /ʃoʊz/ (say shohz) noun Law 1. an intangible form of property as debts, shares, intellectual property, contractual rights, etc., recoverable by an action. 2. a right which can be protected only by legal action …  

  • chose in action — (Law) right of ownership in intangible items which are not in a person s possession but may be recovered through legal or court action (such as shares in a company, debts, insurance claims, salaries and pensions); document (as a check or stock… …   English contemporary dictionary

  • chose in action — An incorporeal right; the right of a creditor to be paid; a right not reduced to possession but recoverable by bringing and maintaining an action. 42 Am J1st Prop § 26 …   Ballentine's law dictionary

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