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habeas corpus

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habeas corpus
habeas corpus /ˌheɪbiəs ˈkɔːpəs $ -ˈkɔːr-/ noun [uncountable]
 Date: 1400-1500
 Language: Latin
 Origin: 'you should have the body' (the first words on the document which demands that the person should be allowed to come to court)
law a law which says that a person can only be kept in prison following a court’s decision