mens rea
/ˌmɛnz ˈɹiːə/ noun
Forms mentes reae
- noun (general, psychology) A reactive mind, a conscious knowing by the individual that an act was committed, either by themselves or by another.
- noun (law) A guilty mind, the conscious knowing of a perpetrator while committing an act that the act is illicit.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Latin mēns + reus (literally “guilty mind”), from the English common law precept Actus non facit reum nisi mens rea sit ("The act does not make a person guilty unless the mind is also guilty").
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “mens rea”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details