from
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)
AC ETIAM, Eng. law. In order to give jurisdiction to a court, a cause of
action over which the court has jurisdiction is alleged, and also,, (ac
etiam) another cause of action over which, without being joined with the
first, the court would have no jurisdiction; for example, to the usual
complaint of breaking the plaintiff's close, over which the court has
jurisdiction, a clause is added containing the real cause of action. This
juridical contrivance grew out of the Statute 13 Charles H. Stat. 2, c. 2.
The clause was added by Lord North, Ch. J. of the C. P. to the clausum
fregit writs of that court upon which writs of capias might issue. He
balanced awhile whether he should not use the words nec non instead of ac
etiam. The matter is fully explained in Burgess on Insolvency, 149. 155.
156. 157.