from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Essoin \Es*soin"\or Essoign \Es*soign\, n. [OF. essoine,
essoigne, F. exoine, L. essonia, exonia; pref. ex- (L. ex
from) + sunnis, sunnia, sonia, hindrance, excuse. Cf. Icel.
syn refusal, synja to deny, refuse, Goth. sunja truth,
sunj[=o]n to justify, OS. sunnea impediment, OHG. sunna.]
1. (Eng. Law) An excuse for not appearing in court at the
return of process; the allegation of an excuse to the
court.
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2. Excuse; exemption. [Obs.]
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From every work he challenged essoin. --Spenser.
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{Essoin day} (Eng. Law), the first general return day of the
term, on which the court sits to receive essoins.
--Blackstone.
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from
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)
ESSOIN, practice. An excuse which a party bound to be in court on a
particular day, offers for not being there. 1 Sell. Pr. 4; Lee's Dict. h.t.
2. Essoin day is the day on which the writ is returnable. It is
considered for many purposes as the first day of the term. 1 T. R. 183. See
2 T. R. 16 n.; 4 Moore's R. 425. Vide Exoine.