Legal Definitions - pays

Pays (pay or pays), n. [Law French] refers to the country or a jury. In Roman law, patria (pay-tree-uh or pa-tree-uh) means a person's home area or fatherland. It can also refer to the country or a specific area within it, such as a county or neighborhood. In historical context, patria can also refer to a jury, as when a defendant "puts himself upon the country" (ponit se super patriam).

• When the defendant "puts himself upon the country," he is relying on the decision of the patria or jury.
• The concept of patria was important in Roman law, where it referred to a person's home area or fatherland.
• In historical context, patria could also refer to a specific area within a country, such as a county or neighborhood.

These examples illustrate how pays and patria can refer to both a country and a jury, and how patria can also refer to a person's home area or a specific area within a country.