Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In old law, the act of the distraiuer of goods, who, in an action of replevin, avowed and justified the taking by maintaining that he took them in his own right: thus distinguished from cognizance, which was the defense of one who maintained that he took them in the right of another as his bailiff or servant.
  • noun A patron saint chosen for one's advocacy in heaven: often applied to a picture or representation of the patron saint, and hence the cognizance by which a knight was known, because the representation of his patron saint borne on his pennon became such a cognizance.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete An advocate; a patron; a patron saint.
  • noun The act of the distrainer of goods, who, in an action of replevin, avows and justifies the taking in his own right.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The action of an advowee, advocate or patron
  • noun advocacy, patronage, protection
  • noun avowal

Etymologies

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