Laches

/ˈlætʃɪz/ noun

Definition

An equitable defense that bars a claim when a plaintiff has unreasonably delayed bringing a lawsuit, and this delay has prejudiced the defendant. It's based on the principle that equity aids the vigilant, not those who sleep on their rights.

Etymology

From Old French 'lachesse' meaning 'slackness' or 'negligence,' derived from Latin 'laxus' (loose, slack). The legal doctrine developed in medieval English courts of equity to prevent stale claims where delay made fair resolution difficult.

Kelly Says

Laches is equity's way of saying 'you snooze, you lose'—even if the statute of limitations hasn't run out, waiting too long to sue can kill your case if your delay unfairly hurts the other side's ability to defend!

Translations

AMአማርኛ
እንደ አንድ
en-de a-nd
ARالعربية
إهمال
ih-ma-al
BNবাংলা
অবহেলা
o-bo-he-la
CACatalà
laches
la-cheh-s
CSČeština
laches
la-che-s
DADansk
sløseri
sloe-se-ri
DEDeutsch
Laches
LA-che-s
ELΕλληνικά
απρόσεκτο
a-pro-se-k-to
ESEspañol
laches
la-cheh-s
FAفارسی
بی توجهی
bi-to-va-ti
FISuomi
laches
la-cheh-s
FRFrançais
laches
la-shɛs
GUGU
લેપ
le-p
HAHA
karya
ka-rya
HEעברית
התעלמות
ha-ta-al-ma
HIहिन्दी
अलगाव
al-ga-av
HUMagyar
látványosság
lat-van-yo-ssag
IDBahasa Indonesia
kesalahan
ke-sa-la-han
IGIG
ike
i-ke
ITItaliano
laches
la-cheh-s
JA日本語
怠慢
tai-man
KKKK
сыйыс
syy-ys
KMKM
ការបោះបង់
ka-r bo-ah-bong
KO한국어
태만
tae-man
MRMR
अलगाव
al-ga-av
MSBahasa Melayu
kesalahan
ke-sa-la-han
MYမြန်မာ
စွန့်
swa-nt
NLNederlands
laches
la-cheh-s
NONorsk
sløseri
sloe-se-ri
PAPA
ਅਲਗ
al-g
PLPolski
leniwo
le-ni-vo
PTPortuguês
laches
la-che-s
RORomână
lăsare
las-are
RUРусский
небрежность
ne-brezh-no-st'
SVSvenska
slarv
slarv
SWKiswahili
uzemi
u-ze-mi
TAதமிழ்
துவக்கம்
thu-va-kam
TEతెలుగు
నెగిసి
ne-gi-si
THไทย
ความล่าช้า
khwam la-cha-cha
TLTL
pagkukulang
pa-gku-ku-lang
TRTürkçe
gecikme
geh-chih-meh
UKУкраїнська
недбалість
ne-d-ba-list'
URاردو
غفلت
gha-felt
VITiếng Việt
lệch pha
le-ch pha
YOYO
àgbà
a-gba
ZH中文
怠慢
dài màn
ZUZU
ukuthula
u-ku-thu-la

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.