Short for habeas corpus, a legal writ requiring a person under arrest to be brought before a judge or court to determine if their detention is lawful.
From Latin habeas corpus meaning 'you may have the body'. Habeas is the second person singular present subjunctive of habere 'to have'. The full phrase emerged in medieval English law as a safeguard against unlawful imprisonment.
This ancient legal principle literally commands 'you must have the body' - meaning authorities must physically produce the prisoner and justify their detention. It's considered one of the cornerstones of civil liberties and appears in the U.S. Constitution.
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