in rem

adjective

Against a thing (such as property) rather than a person.

“The church filed an in rem petition with the court, requesting that the book be declared obscene.”

OriginLatin in rem ← ['la ', →
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Meanings

adjectivein rem (not comparable)

alternative in-rem

  1. not comparablelawAgainst a thing (such as property) rather than a person.

    The church filed an in rem petition with the court, requesting that the book be declared obscene.

    1 more example

    True in rem cases involve a dispute over ownership of the property that is the jurisdictional predicate, and (believe it or not) determine the ownership interest in that thing as to every person in the world.

    2021, Richard D. Freer, Civil Procedure, Aspen Publishing, →ISBN, page 50

Origin

  1. ['la',
  2. Latinin rem
  3. Englishin rem

Borrowed from Latin in rem (“against the thing”).

More words from Latin, ['la

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: in rem on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.