presentment

presentment
    n 1: an accusation of crime made by a grand jury on its own
         initiative [syn: {presentment}, {notification}]
    2: a document that must be accepted and paid by another person
    3: a show or display; the act of presenting something to sight
       or view; "the presentation of new data"; "he gave the
       customer a demonstration" [syn: {presentation},
       {presentment}, {demonstration}]
    

Presentment \Pre*sent"ment\, n.
   1. The act of presenting, or the state of being presented;
      presentation. " Upon the heels of my presentment." --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Setting forth to view; delineation; appearance;
      representation; exhibition.
      [1913 Webster]

            Power to cheat the eye with blear illusion,
            And give it false presentment.        --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. (Law)
      (a) The notice taken by a grand jury of any offence from
          their own knowledge or observation, without any bill
          of indictment laid before them, as, the presentment of
          a nuisance, a libel, or the like; also, an inquisition
          of office and indictment by a grand jury; an official
          accusation presented to a tribunal by the grand jury
          in an indictment, or the act of offering an
          indictment; also, the indictment itself.
      (b) The official notice (formerly required to be given in
          court) of the surrender of a copyhold estate.
          --Blackstone.
          [1913 Webster]

   {Presentment of a bill of exchange}, the offering of a bill
      to the drawee for acceptance, or to the acceptor for
      payment. See {Bill of exchange}, under {Bill}. --Mozley &
      W.
      [1913 Webster]
    

PRESENTMENT, contracts. The production of a bill of exchange or promissory 
note to the party on whom the former is drawn, for his acceptance, or to the 
person bound to pay either, for payment. 
     2. The holder of a bill is bound, in order to hold the parties to it 
responsible to him, to present it in due time for acceptance, and to give 
notice, if it be dishonored, to all tho parties he intends to hold liable. 
And when a bill or note becomes payable, it must be presented for payment. 
     3. The principal circumstances concerning presentment, are the person 
to whom, the place where, and the time when, it is to be made. 
     4.-1. In general the presentment for payment should be made to the 
maker of a note, or the drawee of a bill for acceptance, or to the acceptor, 
for payment; but a presentment made at a particular place, when payable 
there, is in general sufficient. A personal demand on the drawee or acceptor 
is not necessary; a demand at his usual place of residence of his wife or 
other agent is sufficient. 2 Esp. Cas. 509; 5 Esp. Cas. 265 Holt's N. P. 
Cas. 313. 
     5.-2. When a bill or note is made payable at a particular place, a 
presentment, as we have seen, may be made there; but when the acceptance is 
general, it must be presented at the house or place of business of the 
acceptor. 3 Kent, Com. 64, 65. 
     6.-3. In treating of the time for presentment, it must be considered 
with reference, 1st. To a presentment for acceptance. 2d. To one for 
payment. 1st. When the bill is payable at sight, or after sight, the 
presentment must be made in reasonable time; and what this reasonable time 
is depends upon the circumstances of each case. 7 Taunt. 397; 1 Dall. 255; 2 
Dall. 192; Ibid. 232; 4 Dall. 165; Ibid. 129; 1 Yeates, 531; 7 Serg. & 
Rawle, 324; 1 Yeates 147. 2d. The presentment of a note or bill for payment 
ought to be made on the day it becomes due, and notice of non-payment given, 
otherwise the holder will lose the security of the drawer and endorsers of a 
bill and the endorsers of a promissory note, and in case the note or bill be 
payable at a particular place and the money lodged there for its payment, 
the holder would probably have no recourse against the maker or acceptor, if 
he did not present them on the day, and the money should be lost. 5 Barn. & 
Ald. 244. Vide 5 Com. Dig. 134; 2 John. Cas. 75; 3 John. R. 230; 2 Caines' 
Rep. 343; 18 John. R. 230; 2 John. R. 146, 168, 176; 2 Wheat. 373; Chit. on 
Bills, Index, h.t.; Smith on Mer. Law, 138; Byles on Bills, 102. 
     7. The excuses for not making a presentment are general or applicable 
to all persons, who are endorsers; or they are special and applicable to the 
particular' endorser only. 
     8.-1. Among the former are, 1. Inevitable accident or overwhelming 
calamity; Story on Bills, Sec. 308; 3 Wend. 488; 2 Smith's R. 224. 2. The 
prevalence of a malignant disease, by which the ordinary operations of 
business are suspended. 2 John. Cas. 1; 3 M. & S. 267; Anth. N. P. Cas. 35. 
3. The breaking out of war between the country of the maker and that of the 
holder. 4. The occupation of the country where the note is payable or where 
the parties live, by a public enemy, which suspends commercial operations 
and intercourse. 8 Cranch, 155 15 John. 57; 16 John. 438 7 Pet. 586 2 Brock. 
20; 2 Smith's R. 224. 51. The obstruction of the ordinary negotiations of 
trade by the vi's maj or. 6. Positive interdictions and public regulations 
of the state which suspend commerce and intercourse. 7. The utter 
impracticability of finding the maker, or ascertaining his place of 
residence. Story on Pr. N. 205, 236, 238, 241, 264. 
     9.-2. Among the latter or special excuses for not making a 
presentment may be enumerated the following: 1. The receiving the note by 
the holder from the payee, or other antecedent party, too late to make a due 
presentment; this will be an excuse as to such party.  16 East, 248; 7 Mass. 
483; Story, P. N. Sec. 201, 265; 11 Wheat. 431 2 Wheat. 373. 2. The note 
being an accommodation note of the maker for the benefit of the endorser. 
Story on Bills, Sec. 370; see 2 Brock. 20; 7 Harr. & J. 381; 7 Mass. 452; 1 
Wash. C. C. R. 461; 2 Wash. C. C. R. 514; 1 Raym. 271; 4 Mason, 113; 1 Har. 
& G. 468; 1 Caines, 157; 1 Stew. 175; 5 Pick. 88; 21 Pick. 327. 3. A special 
agreement by which the endorser waives the presentment. 8 Greenl. 213; 11 
Wheat. 629; Story on Bills, Sec. 371, 373; 6 Wheat. 572. 4. The receiving 
security or money by an endorser to secure himself from loss, or to pay the 
note at maturity. In this case, when the indemnity or money is a full 
security for the amount of the note or bill, no presentment is requisite. 
Story on Bills, Sec. 374; Story on P. N. Sec. 281; 4 Watts, 328.; 9 Gill & 
John. 47; 7 Wend. 165; 2 Greenl. 207; 5 Mass. l70; 5 Conn. 175. 5. The 
receiving the note by the holder from the endorser, as a collateral security 
for another debt. Story on Pr. Notes, Sec. 284; Story on Bills, Sec. 372; 2 
How. S. C. R. 427, 457. 
    10. A want of presentment may be waived by the party to be affected, 
after a full knowledge of the fact. 8 S. & R. 438; see 6 Wend. 658; 3 Bibb, 
102; 5 John. 385; 4 Mass. 347; 7 Mass. 452; Wash. C. C. R. 506; Bac. Ab. 
Merchant, &c. M. Vide, generally, 1 Hare & Wall. Sel. Dec. 214, 224. See 
Notice of dishonor. 
    

PRESENTMENT, crim. law, practice. The written notice taken by a grand jury 
of any offence, from their own knowledge or observation, without any bill of 
indictment laid before them at the suit of the government; 4 Bl. Com. 301; 
upon such presentment, when 'proper, the officer employed to prosecute, 
afterwards frames a till of indictment, which is then sent to the grand 
jury, and they find it to be a true bill. In an extended sense presentments 
include not only what is properly so called, but also inquisitions of 
office, and indictments found by a grand jury. 2 Hawk. c. 25, s. 1. 
     2. The difference between a presentment and an inquisition, (q.v.) is 
this, that the former is found by a grand jury authorized to inquire of 
offences generally, whereas the latter is an accusation found by a jury 
specially returned to inquire concerning the particular offence. 2 Hawk. c. 
25, s. 6. Vide, generally, Com. Dig. Indictment, B Bac. Ab. Indictment, A 1 
Chit. Cr. Law, 163; 7 East, R. 387 1 Meigs. 112; 11 Humph. 12. 
     3. The writing which contains the accusation so presented by a grand 
jury, is also called a presentment. Vide 1 Brock. C. C. R. 156; Grand Jury. 
    

119 Moby Thesaurus words for "presentment":
      accommodation, accordance, alphabet, arraignment, art, award,
      awarding, bail, benefit, bestowal, bestowment, bill, blueprint,
      charactering, characterization, charge, chart, choreography,
      communication, concession, conferment, conferral, contribution,
      conventional representation, dance notation, debut, delineation,
      deliverance, delivery, demonstration, depiction, depictment,
      description, diagram, display, donation, drama, drawing, enactment,
      endowment, entertainment, exemplification, exhibit, exhibition,
      exposition, exposure, farewell performance, figuration, flesh show,
      furnishment, gifting, giving, grant, granting, hieroglyphic,
      iconography, ideogram, illustration, imagery, imaging, impartation,
      impartment, impeachment, indictment, information, investiture,
      letter, liberality, limning, logogram, logograph, map,
      musical notation, notation, offer, opening, ostentation,
      performance, pictogram, picture, picturization, plan, portraiture,
      portrayal, prefigurement, premiere, presentation, printing,
      production, projection, provision, realization, rendering,
      rendition, representation, retrospective, schema, score, script,
      show, showing, stage presentation, subscription, supplying,
      surrender, swan song, syllabary, symbol, tablature,
      theatrical performance, true bill, tryout, unfolding, unfoldment,
      unveiling, varnishing day, vernissage, vouchsafement, writing