Legal Definitions - venia

Venia

Venia is a word that has different meanings depending on the context. Here are some of them:

• When talking about history, venia refers to a penitent's act of kneeling or prostrating on the ground as a sign of repentance.
• In legal contexts, venia can mean a pardon or the granting of a privilege.
• One specific type of privilege granted by a prince or sovereign is called venia aetatis. This privilege allows an underage person to act as if they were of full age.

Here are some examples of how venia can be used:

• After committing a sin, the penitent asked for venia by kneeling in front of the priest.
• The governor granted venia to the prisoner, reducing their sentence.
• The prince gave venia aetatis to the young heir, allowing them to rule the kingdom even though they were not yet of legal age.

These examples show how venia can refer to different things depending on the context. In the first example, venia means an act of repentance. In the second example, it means a pardon. And in the third example, it means a specific type of privilege granted by a prince or sovereign.