liege poustie

2 definitions found

liege poustie - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Liege \Liege\ (l[=e]j), a. [OE. lige, lege, F. lige, LL. ligius,
     legius, liege, unlimited, complete, prob. of German origin;
     cf. G. ledig free from bonds and obstacles, MHG. ledec,
     ledic, lidic, freed, loosed, and Charta Ottonis de Benthem,
     ann. 1253, "ligius homo quod Teutonic[`e] dicitur ledigman,"
     i. e., uni soli homagio obligatus, free from all obligations
     to others; influenced by L. ligare to bind. G. ledig perh.
     orig. meant, free to go where one pleases, and is perh. akin
     to E. lead to conduct. Cf. Lead to guide.]
     1. Sovereign; independent; having authority or right to
        allegiance; as, a liege lord. --Chaucer.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              She looked as grand as doomsday and as grave;
              And he, he reverenced his liege lady there.
                                                    --Tennyson.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. serving an independent sovereign or master; bound by a
        feudal tenure; obliged to be faithful and loyal to a
        superior, as a vassal to his lord; faithful; loyal; as, a
        liege man; a liege subject.
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     3. (Old Law) Full; perfect; complete; pure. --Burrill.
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     Liege homage (Feudal Custom), that homage of one sovereign
        or prince to another which acknowledged an obligation of
        fealty and services.
  
     Liege poustie [L. legitima potestas] (Scots Law), perfect,
        i. e., legal, power; specif., having health requisite to
        do legal acts.
  
     Liege widowhood, perfect, i. e., pure, widowhood. [Obs.]
        [1913 Webster]

liege poustie - Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) :

  LIEGE POUSTIE, Scotch law. The condition or state of a person who is in his 
  ordinary health and capacity, and not a minor, nor cognosced as an idiot or 
  madman, nor under interdiction. He is then said to be in liege poustie, or 
  in legitima potestati, and he has full power of disposal of his property. 1 
  Bell's Com. 85, 5th ed.; 6 Clark & Fin. 540. Vide Sui juris.