from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Indemnity \In*dem"ni*ty\, n.; pl. {Indemnities}. [L. indemnitas,
fr. indemnis uninjured: cf. F. indemnit['e]. See
{Indemnify}.]
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1. Security; insurance; exemption from loss or damage, past
or to come; immunity from penalty, or the punishment of
past offenses; amnesty.
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Having first obtained a promise of indemnity for the
riot they had committed. --Sir W.
Scott.
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2. Indemnification, compensation, or remuneration for loss,
damage, or injury sustained.
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They were told to expect, upon the fall of Walpole,
a large and lucrative indemnity for their pretended
wrongs. --Ld. Mahon.
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Note: Insurance is a contract of indemnity. --Arnould. The
owner of private property taken for public use is
entitled to compensation or indemnity. --Kent.
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{Act of indemnity} (Law), an act or law passed in order to
relieve persons, especially in an official station, from
some penalty to which they are liable in consequence of
acting illegally, or, in case of ministers, in consequence
of exceeding the limits of their strict constitutional
powers. These acts also sometimes provide compensation for
losses or damage, either incurred in the service of the
government, or resulting from some public measure.
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