Court Reporter Practice Exam

What does the Latin term "et vir" mean?

1. And wife

2. And son

3. And husband

4. And child

The correct answer is: And husband

The Latin term "et vir" translates to "and husband." In legal contexts, especially in historical documents and cases, this phrase is used to refer to the husband when mentioning a married couple, often in the context of property ownership, inheritance, or marital rights. The phrase reflects traditional legal terminology which often distinguished between roles in a marriage, hence its specificity to "husband." This clarification is important to understand how legal language historically framed marital relationships, particularly in an era when women's legal identities were often defined in relation to their husbands. In contrast, the other options reference relationships (wife, son, child) that the term "et vir" does not encapsulate, reinforcing the specific nature of this Latin phrase within its legal tradition.