mens rea
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mens rea
- /ˌmɛnz ˈɹiːə/
Rhymes with -iːə
Where it comes from
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").
noun mentes reae
- A reactive mind, a conscious knowing by the individual that an act was committed, either by oneself or by another.
- A guilty mind, the conscious knowing of a perpetrator while committing an act that the act is illicit. As a general rule the act (or omission) causing death and the relevant mens rea must occur at the same time. The most obvious application of this rule to exclude liability is the case where the mens rea is formed after the actus reus has taken place.
Translations
Every language
noun guilty mind
| Español | mente rea |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 故意 koi |
| 中文 | 犯罪意圖 /犯罪意图 fànzuì yìtú, 犯罪故意 fànzuì gùyì, 犯罪心理 fànzuì xīnlǐ |
| हिन्दी | चोर की दाढ़ी में तिनका cor kī dāṛhī mẽ tinkā |
| Français | mens rea |
| Русский | престу́пный у́мысел prestúpnyj úmysel |
Talk about this word "mens rea." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/mens%20rea. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. mens rea. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/mens%20rea "mens rea." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/mens%20rea.Cite this
@misc{mens_rea_2026,
title = {mens rea},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/mens%20rea},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
