actus rei

A form of actus reus — The act or acts constituting a criminal offense, as distinguished from the intentions or state of mind of the perpetrator (mens rea).

OriginLatin āctūs →
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Meanings

nounactus rei pl
  1. pluralplural of actus reus

    They are as it were, the actus rei of matrimonial guilt.

    1970, Pacific Law Journal (published by the students of the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law), volume 1, page 194

Origin

  1. Latināctūs
  2. Englishactus rei

First attested in 1970; from the Latin āctūs (“acts”, the nominative plural form of āctus, “act”) + reī (the masculine nominative plural form of reus, “guilty”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

actus rei. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/actus%20rei

MLA

“actus rei.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/actus%20rei. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “actus rei,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/actus%20rei.

Source: actus rei on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.