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praemunire

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praemunire

  • /ˌpɹiː.mjʊˈnɪə.ɹi/ UK
  • /ˌpɹiː.mjuːˈnɪə.ɹi/ UK
  • /ˌpɹi.mjəˈnɪɹ.i/ US

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Latin praemūnīre, shortened form of praemunire facias (“that you cause to be forewarned”) from the opening words of the writ: praemūnīre (“to fortify (defend in advance)”) (an error for praemonēre (“to forewarn”)) + faciās (“you make”).

noun praemunires

  1. historical The offence in English law of bringing suit in or obeying a foreign (especially papal) court or authority, thus challenging the supremacy of the Crown. The offence was created by the Statute of Praemunire 1393 (16 Richard II, chapter 5), and abolished by the Criminal Law Act 1967 (chapter 58). Lord Cardinall, the Kings further pleaſure is, / Becauſe all thoſe things you haue done of late / By your power Legatiue within this Kingdome, / Fall into' th' compaſſe of a Premunire; / That therefore ſuch a Writ be ſued againſt you, / To forfeit all your Goods, Lands, Tenements, / Caſtles, and wha
  2. The writ charging a person with this offence, the writ of praemunire facias. Premunire lies against an ecclesiastical Judge. Where a cause originally belongs to the cognizance of the ecclesiastical Court, although all circumstances being disclosed the cognizance belongs to the King's temporal Court; yet, if the suit is prosecuted there in the same nature as the cognizance be
  3. in extended use Any of a number of criminal offences incurring similar penalties to the original offence of praemunire. [T]he term ‘Præmunire’ […] has subsequently, to use the language of Mr. Serjeant Hawkins (Pleas of the Crown, b. 1, c. 19), ‘been applied to other heinous crimes, for the most part having relation to the offences originally coming under the notion of præmunire, but in some instances not at all.’ The
  4. figuratively Crime, offence, wrongdoing. O Pride, of all heaven-relapsing praemunires the most fearful – thou that ere this had disparadised our first parent, Adam, and unrighteoused the very angels –, how shall I arm mine elocution to break through the ranks of thy hilly stumbling blocks?
  5. The penalty for this offence. Sir, this should teach us to be as tender, zealous and careful to assert Christ and his church, their privileges and rights, and to forewarn all lest they endanger their souls by encroaching thereon, and lest their omissions and remissness bring eternal premunires upon them, let all know that the sp
  6. figuratively A difficulty or predicament. This attendance increased his uneasiness to such a degree, that he […] swore, that if once he was clear of this scrape, he would not bring himself into such a premunire again for the whole kingdom of France.

verb praemunires · praemuniring · praemunired · præmunire · premunire

  1. historical To charge with the offence of praemunire; to subject to the penalties of praemunire. A Thief having ſtoln two Beaſts from one of thoſe called Quakers, was impriſoned: But ſome body having informed the Judge that the Man that proſecuted was a Quaker, and he (the Judge) perceiving that he would not ſwear, would not hear what the Man could ſay, but tender'd him the Oaths of Allegiance

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MLA

"praemunire." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/praemunire. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

praemunire. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/praemunire

Chicago

"praemunire." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/praemunire.

BibTeX
@misc{praemunire_2026,
  title = {praemunire},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/praemunire},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}