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Dictionary
| English |
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abettor (abetter)
- noun
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MP3
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| Definitions |
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Def: a person who commands, advises, instigates or encourages someone to commit an intentional unlawful act
Example: An abettor assists or encourages another to commit a crime, usually by providing information, money, concealment, or some other item critical to the commission of the act.
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| Usage note |
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It is a formal word. The spelling variant 'abettor' to be preferred in legal texts.
To distinguish the criminal culpability of one from another, the common law developed specialized terms for the various ways in which one could be an accomplice. For instance, a "principal in the first degree" was the person who actually carried out a crime. A "principal in the second degree" (an "aider and abettor") was a helper who was present at a crime scene but in a passive role, such as acting as a "lookout."
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| dic_connotations |
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