What does delict mean?
A delict is a wrongful act — a breach of legal duty that causes harm to another person and gives rise to civil liability. The term belongs chiefly to legal systems rooted in Roman law, such as Scots law, Roman-Dutch law, and continental European codes, where it plays the role that 'tort' occupies in English and American common law. If a driver negligently injures a pedestrian, or a publisher defames someone's character, the injured party may sue on the basis of a delict and claim compensation. Beyond the courtroom, delict can occasionally serve as a formal, literary word for any offense or misdeed, though this usage is now uncommon. Its Latin ancestry gives it a precise, scholarly tone: it appears mainly in statutes, judgments, and academic writing rather than casual conversation. For readers navigating comparative law, delict is indispensable vocabulary — it marks the boundary between civil wrongs, which compensate victims, and crimes, which punish offenders on society's behalf.
nounA violation of the law or a breach of duty that causes harm to another, for which civil liability may arise; in legal systems derived from Roman law, a wrongful act comparable to a tort in common law.
- (Law) A wrongful act or breach of legal duty causing harm to another, giving rise to civil liability; especially in civil-law jurisdictions, an act analogous to a tort.
- (General, rare) An offense or misdeed; a transgression.
"The court held the company liable for the delict of negligence after failing to maintain the scaffolding."
"Under Scottish and Roman-Dutch law, defamation may constitute a delict entitling the victim to damages."
"The philosopher catalogued every delict of the old regime with disapproving precision."
Regular plural; typically used when discussing multiple categories of civil wrong or repeated offenses.
"The treatise examined delicts ranging from theft and fraud to negligence."
While English law speaks of 'torts', much of Europe still blames you for your 'delicts' — a word straight from ancient Rome's courtrooms.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of delict
Delict comes from the Latin noun delictum, meaning 'an offense' or 'fault', formed from the past participle of delinquere, 'to fail in duty' or 'to offend' (from de- plus linquere, 'to leave'). It entered English in the early modern period, largely through the revival of Roman-law scholarship. The same Latin verb also produced 'delinquent' and 'delinquency', making these true cognates within English itself.
Related word forms
How delict is actually used
Predominantly a formal legal term used in civil-law traditions (Scots law, Roman-Dutch law, continental European systems) rather than in everyday speech; in common-law contexts 'tort' is the usual equivalent. The general non-legal sense is rare and somewhat archaic.
Easily confused with delict
A derelict is a person abandoned by society or property left in neglect, while a delict is a legal wrong or unlawful act.