366:, and is sometimes called a "habendam et tenendam" clause. The use of legal merisms seldom, if ever, adds legal effect to the documents that contain them, but it frequently increases their reading difficulty. However, the weight of tradition and the fear of a deviation from the established formula having unintended legal consequences make lawyers reluctant to revise the traditional formulae, and their clients, seeing them, at least draw the satisfaction of knowing that their documents appear to be written by a lawyer.
191:
257:
369:
In some cases, the doubling (or even tripling) of constituent parts in the meristic constructions arose as a result of the transition of legal discourse from Latin to French and then from French to
English. During such periods, key terms were paired with synonyms from multiple languages in an attempt
357:
Traditionally, a gift of real property was called a "devise", and a gift of other property was a "bequest". Nowadays, the words "bequeath" and "devise" are synonymous in most jurisdictions and so "I bequeath the rest of my property to..." is enough in both law and logic to achieve the same result.
107:. Other famous examples of Biblical merisms are Genesis 1:5 in which "evening" and "morning" refer to "one day" (including noon, afternoon etc.) and Psalm 139 in which the psalmist declares that God knows "my downsitting and my uprising": God knows all of the psalmist's actions.
348:
A lawyer who writes a will typically includes a residuary clause that disposes of any property not covered by a prior section. The weight of tradition is such that the lawyer writing such a document will often phrase it something like this:
455:
362:
frequently contain a traditional clause that says that the grantee is "to have and to hold" the property conveyed. That usage goes back to the days in which the instruments were drawn up in
341:. It became customary to combine the instruments in a single dispositive document, and the name has continued long after the doctrines that had required its use became obsolete in
682:
353:
I bequeath, convey, and devise the rest, residue, and remainder of my property, whether real or personal, and wheresoever it may be situated, to...
61:
For example, in order to say that someone "searched everywhere", one could use the merism "searched high and low". Another example is the
92:), the two parts (heavens and earth) do not refer only to the heavens and the earth. Rather, they refer to the heavens, the earth
562:
115:
The term entered
English in 1894 in the biological sense but had appeared earlier in rhetorical contexts in which it denoted "'
615:
538:
498:
691:
671:
475:
464:
300:
238:
155:, a merism is a repetition of similar parts in the structure of an organism (Bateson 1894). Such features are called
282:
220:
383:
267:
216:
654:
Materials For The Study Of
Variation: Treated With Especial Regard To Discontinuity In The Origin Of Species
89:
520:
719:
714:
201:
420:
278:
212:
205:
724:
488:
605:
450:
42:
530:
456:
Revivalistics: From the
Genesis of Israeli to Language Reclamation in Australia and Beyond
8:
521:
Adele Berlin; Marc Zvi
Brettler; Michael A. Fishbane; Jewish Publication Society (2004).
70:
709:
687:
667:
611:
534:
494:
471:
460:
338:
62:
677:
659:
649:
523:
409:
81:
274:
31:
23:
703:
401:
330:
321:" at one time referred to two documents, which were enforced in two separate
180:
77:
54:) is a rhetorical device (or figure of speech) in which a combination of two
583:
371:
607:
Floral
Diagrams: An Aid to Understanding Flower Morphology and Evolution
393:, referring to a whole by the name of one of its parts (or vice versa):
390:
342:
318:
116:
317:
and are a hallmark of legal style. The two parts of the legal merism "
160:
47:
285:. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed.
190:
65:
movie genre, a loose term for a genre of movies made principally in
156:
103:
425:
314:
164:
152:
84:
1:1, when God creates את השמים ואת הארץ (Modern pronunciation:
119:
in which totality is expressed by contrasting parts' (such as
363:
322:
168:
66:
35:
633:
Contract
Drafting: Powerful Prose in Transactional Practice
359:
630:
603:
449:
159:
characters, and the study of such characters is called
683:
How to Kill a Dragon: Aspects of Indo-European
Poetics
522:
514:
701:
624:
445:
443:
441:
405:, where the part is used to refer to the whole.
554:
486:
135:'a dividing or partitioning', ultimately from
493:. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. pp. 456–.
413:, where the whole is used to refer to a part.
604:Louis P. Ronse De Craene (4 February 2010).
438:
313:Merisms frequently figure in the writing of
584:"Online Dictionary of Language Terminology"
560:
219:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
171:of organs from which they are constructed.
167:in considering the number of parts in each
610:. Cambridge University Press. p. 23.
597:
480:
301:Learn how and when to remove this message
239:Learn how and when to remove this message
702:
459:. New York: Oxford University Press.
250:
217:adding citations to reliable sources
184:
576:
529:. Oxford University Press. p.
384:Wiktionary:Category:English merisms
146:
13:
643:
631:Espenschied, Lenné Eidson (2010).
58:of the whole refer to the whole.
14:
736:
382:For list of English merisms, see
127:)". It derives from Modern Latin
370:to prevent ambiguity and ensure
255:
189:
88:) "the heavens and the earth" (
174:
69:in the 1950s and 1960s set in
1:
563:"Online Etymology Dictionary"
431:
110:
90:New Revised Standard Version
48:
16:Synecdochic figure of speech
7:
664:The Elements of Legal Style
635:. American Bar Association.
377:
281:the claims made and adding
94:and everything between them
10:
741:
381:
178:
86:et hashamaim ve-et haarets
76:Merisms are common in the
36:
656:(Macmillan and Co., 1894)
329:disposed of a decedent's
487:Bruce K Waltke (2007).
421:Lock, stock, and barrel
319:Last Will and Testament
525:The Jewish Study Bible
355:
131:, from Greek μερισμός
27:
490:A commentary on Micah
351:
213:improve this section
666:. (Oxford, 2001.
451:Zuckermann, Ghil'ad
163:. An example is in
71:classical antiquity
266:possibly contains
139:'to divide', from
96:: God created the
80:. For example, in
720:Legal terminology
715:Figures of speech
617:978-1-139-48455-8
561:Harper, Douglas.
540:978-0-19-529751-5
500:978-0-8028-4933-5
311:
310:
303:
268:original research
249:
248:
241:
56:contrasting parts
45:
732:
686:(Oxford, 2001.
637:
636:
628:
622:
621:
601:
595:
594:
592:
590:
580:
574:
573:
571:
569:
558:
552:
551:
549:
547:
528:
518:
512:
511:
509:
507:
484:
478:
470:
447:
306:
299:
295:
292:
286:
283:inline citations
259:
258:
251:
244:
237:
233:
230:
224:
193:
185:
147:Biological usage
63:sword-and-sandal
53:
41:
39:
38:
740:
739:
735:
734:
733:
731:
730:
729:
700:
699:
678:Calvert Watkins
660:Bryan A. Garner
650:William Bateson
646:
644:Further reading
641:
640:
629:
625:
618:
602:
598:
588:
586:
582:
581:
577:
567:
565:
559:
555:
545:
543:
541:
519:
515:
505:
503:
501:
485:
481:
467:
448:
439:
434:
410:Totum pro parte
387:
380:
307:
296:
290:
287:
272:
260:
256:
245:
234:
228:
225:
210:
194:
183:
177:
149:
143:'part, share'.
113:
17:
12:
11:
5:
738:
728:
727:
722:
717:
712:
696:
695:
675:
657:
645:
642:
639:
638:
623:
616:
596:
575:
553:
539:
513:
499:
479:
465:
436:
435:
433:
430:
429:
428:
423:
417:
416:
415:
414:
406:
395:
394:
379:
376:
309:
308:
263:
261:
254:
247:
246:
197:
195:
188:
176:
173:
148:
145:
112:
109:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
737:
726:
725:Legal history
723:
721:
718:
716:
713:
711:
708:
707:
705:
698:
693:
692:0-19-514413-9
689:
685:
684:
679:
676:
673:
672:0-19-514162-8
669:
665:
661:
658:
655:
651:
648:
647:
634:
627:
619:
613:
609:
608:
600:
585:
579:
564:
557:
542:
536:
532:
527:
526:
517:
502:
496:
492:
491:
483:
477:
476:9780199812776
473:
468:
466:9780199812790
462:
458:
457:
452:
446:
444:
442:
437:
427:
424:
422:
419:
418:
412:
411:
407:
404:
403:
402:Pars pro toto
399:
398:
397:
396:
392:
389:
388:
385:
375:
374:consistency.
373:
367:
365:
361:
354:
350:
346:
344:
340:
336:
332:
331:real property
328:
324:
320:
316:
305:
302:
294:
284:
280:
276:
270:
269:
264:This section
262:
253:
252:
243:
240:
232:
222:
218:
214:
208:
207:
203:
198:This section
196:
192:
187:
186:
182:
181:Legal doublet
172:
170:
166:
162:
158:
154:
144:
142:
138:
134:
130:
126:
125:young and old
122:
118:
108:
106:
105:
99:
95:
91:
87:
83:
79:
78:Old Testament
74:
72:
68:
64:
59:
57:
52:
51:
44:
33:
29:
25:
21:
697:
681:
663:
653:
632:
626:
606:
599:
589:25 September
587:. Retrieved
578:
568:25 September
566:. Retrieved
556:
546:25 September
544:. Retrieved
524:
516:
504:. Retrieved
489:
482:
454:
408:
400:
368:
356:
352:
347:
337:disposed of
334:
326:
312:
297:
288:
265:
235:
226:
211:Please help
199:
150:
140:
136:
132:
128:
124:
121:high and low
120:
114:
101:
98:entire world
97:
93:
85:
75:
60:
55:
49:
19:
18:
372:hermeneutic
175:Legal usage
704:Categories
432:References
391:Synecdoche
343:common law
333:, and the
275:improve it
179:See also:
117:synecdoche
335:testament
291:July 2020
279:verifying
229:July 2020
200:does not
161:meristics
111:Etymology
43:translit.
710:Rhetoric
453:(2020).
378:See also
339:chattels
157:meristic
137:merizein
133:merismos
129:merismus
104:universe
50:merismós
37:μερισμός
28:merismus
426:Dvandva
315:lawyers
273:Please
221:removed
206:sources
165:flowers
153:biology
82:Genesis
690:
670:
614:
537:
506:19 May
497:
474:
463:
325:. The
323:courts
102:whole
100:, the
46:
20:Merism
364:Latin
360:deeds
358:Many
169:whorl
141:meros
67:Italy
32:Greek
24:Latin
688:ISBN
668:ISBN
612:ISBN
591:2015
570:2015
548:2013
535:ISBN
531:2134
508:2013
495:ISBN
472:ISBN
461:ISBN
327:will
204:any
202:cite
277:by
215:by
151:In
706::
680:,
662:,
652:,
533:.
440:^
345:.
123:,
73:.
40:,
34::
30:,
26::
694:)
674:)
620:.
593:.
572:.
550:.
510:.
469:.
386:.
304:)
298:(
293:)
289:(
271:.
242:)
236:(
231:)
227:(
223:.
209:.
22:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.