Legal Definitions - conatus

CONATUS

Conatus (kə-nay-təs) is a Latin term that refers to an attempt, especially to commit a crime.

• He was caught in the conatus of stealing a car.
• The police arrested him for his conatus to rob a bank.

These examples illustrate how conatus is used to describe an attempt to commit a crime. In both cases, the individuals were caught in the act of trying to commit a crime, but had not yet succeeded. The term can also be used more broadly to describe any attempt or effort to achieve a goal.