Legal Definitions - diffacere

Diffacere (di-fay-sə-ree) is a verb that means to deface or mutilate. It comes from the Old French word deffacer. It is also known as disfacere or defacere.

Someone who scratches graffiti on a public building is diffacere-ing the property. If someone cuts off the nose of a statue, they are also diffacere-ing it.

These examples illustrate how diffacere means to damage or destroy something's appearance or integrity.

• Different-Department Rule: This is a legal doctrine that says people who work for the same employer are not considered fellow servants if they do not work in the same department or do not do the same work.
• Servant: A person who is employed by another to do work under the control and direction of the employer.
• Indentured Servant: A servant who contracted to work without wages for a fixed period in exchange for some benefit, such as learning a trade or cancellation of a debt or paid passage to another country, and the promise of freedom when the contract period expired.