What does presentment mean?
Presentment is a formal noun meaning the act of submitting a document, statement, or charge to someone empowered to receive or act on it. Its best-known use is in criminal law, where a presentment is a written statement of charges issued by a grand jury. The term can also refer more generally to the formal delivery of documents for approval, signature, payment, or official consideration. Because it emphasizes an official act rather than an informal handover, presentment has a precise, institutional, and often legalistic tone. It is less common in everyday speech than presentation, but it remains useful when discussing court procedure and formal administrative processes. The word is related to present and presentation and ultimately reflects the Latin idea of bringing something before another person for attention or judgment.
nounThe act of formally presenting a document or statement to someone with authority to receive it. In legal contexts, a presentment is a formal written statement of charges, especially one made by a grand jury.
- The formal presentation of a document, statement, or charge to an authorized person or body.
- A formal written statement of criminal charges made by a grand jury.
- The act or process of presenting something for consideration, approval, or payment.
"The court considered the presentment of the complaint as evidence that formal charges had been properly initiated."
"The defendant's attorney challenged the presentment before the grand jury."
"The payment was released after the presentment of the required documents."
The plural is used when referring to multiple formal submissions or statements of charges.
"The court clerk recorded several presentments submitted on behalf of the government."
A presentment can launch a criminal case: a grand jury uses one to formally accuse someone of an offense.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does presentment come from?
Presentment was formed in English from present, meaning to bring or offer before someone, together with the suffix -ment, which forms nouns of action or result. Present itself comes through Old French from Latin praesentare, a verb related to praesens, meaning present or appearing before someone. The development therefore follows the general meaning of bringing a matter before an official recipient, with the specialized grand-jury sense developing in legal usage.
How presentment is actually used
Presentment is formal and much more common in legal and administrative contexts than in everyday conversation. In American law, it often refers specifically to a grand jury's formal accusation.
Easily confused with presentment
A presentation is the broader act or event of presenting something, while a presentment often refers specifically to a formal legal document or statement submitted to an official body.