market overt

noun

A rule in English law that overrode the general rule that the purported sale of stolen goods would not transfer ownership, if the goods were openly sold at a designated market between sunrise and sunset.

OriginLaw French market overt ← Anglo-Norman marché ouvert →
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Meanings

nounmarket overt (uncountable)
  1. EnglandWaleshistoricaluncountablelawA rule in English law that overrode the general rule that the purported sale of stolen goods would not transfer ownership, if the goods were openly sold at a designated market between sunrise and sunset.

Origin

  1. Anglo-Normanmarché ouvert“open market”
  2. Law Frenchmarket overt
  3. Englishmarket overt

Learned borrowing from Law French market overt, a calque of Anglo-Norman marché ouvert (“open market”).

More words from Law French, Anglo-Norman

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: market overt on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.