premunire

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A form of praemunire — 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).

Scrabble 13

Meanings

nounpremunire (plural premunires)

plural premunires

  1. alternativeAlternative form of praemunire.
verbpremunire (third-person singular simple present premunires, present participle premuniring, simple past and past participle premunired)

present singular third person premunires · participle present premuniring · participle past premunired · past premunired

  1. alternativeAlternative form of praemunire.

    But instead of receiving any manner of Justice, most rediculously and impertinantly was the Oath of Allegiance, imposed as a Snare upon them; for refusal whereof they were forthwith premunired, and their Estates and Liberties in this horrid manner rap’d from them.

    1664, [Edward Billing], A Faithful Testimony for God & My Country, or, a Retro-Spective Glass for the Legislators and the Rest of the Sons of the Church of England (So Called), Who Are Found Persecuting the Innocent, London: […] the author, page 8
    2 more examples

    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 and Supremacy, which the ſaid Quaker refuſing, the Judge premunired him, and let the thief go free.

    1722, William Sewel, The History of the Rise, Increase, and Progress of the Christian People Called Quakers, Intermixed with Several Remarkable Occurrences. Written Originally in Low-Dutch by William Sewel, and by Himself Translated into English. Now Revis'd and Publish'd, with some Amendments, rev. edition, London: Printed by the Assigns of J. Sowle, at the Bible in George-Yard, Lombard-Street, →OCLC, page 476

    Besides in this case of our premunired friends, if the king had not re-conveyed their estates as he did, by his letters patent – under the great seal of England, – from him and his heirs, to them and their heirs, they had remained forfeited, and liable to future claims, and the proper owners to be dispossessed thereof […]

    1844, William Evans, Thomas Evans, editors, The Friends' Library: Comprising Journals, Doctrinal Treatises, and Other Writings of Members of the Religious Society of Friends, volume VIII, Philadelphia, Penn.: Printed for William and Thomas Evans, by Joseph Rakestraw, →OCLC, page 352
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“premunire.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/premunire. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “premunire,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/premunire.

Source: premunire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.