Definition
An archaic Law French term with two distinct meanings encountered in historical legal texts:
1. Month. Used in medieval and early common law documents to denote a period of one month, particularly in matters relating to procedural deadlines, terms of court, and obligations measured by monthly intervals.
2. Half; middle. Derived from the Latin medius, this usage appears in compound legal terms and conveyancing language to denote a medial or intermediate position — as in describing a middle portion of land, a half-share, or an intervening estate.
The term is encountered almost exclusively in Law French legal manuscripts, year books, and early English legal records. It carries no active legal meaning in modern practice.
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Why It Matters in Research
Researchers working in medieval English legal records, year books, or early chancery and conveyancing documents will encounter MEYS (also rendered MI or MY in abbreviated form) in two entirely different senses that context must resolve. The same short string can mean "month" in a procedural passage and "half" or "middle" in a property description — a misreading can fundamentally alter the meaning of a document.
The abbreviations MI and MY present particular traps. In manuscript sources, these shorthand forms were common, and without awareness of both meanings a researcher may default to one reading and miss the other entirely. The connection to medius is essential for property-related passages: compound Law French terms built on this root often describe fractional shares or intermediate tenures, and recognizing MEYS as the operative element unlocks those constructions.
Researchers should also be alert to the fact that "month" in medieval English legal usage did not always mean a calendar month of fixed length. The legal month could follow ecclesiastical reckoning or court term conventions. When MEYS appears in a procedural context, the type of month being referenced — solar, lunar, or term-based — may require additional investigation depending on the document's date and jurisdiction.
This term has no meaningful presence in post-Blackstonian legal literature. If it appears in a 19th-century text, the author is almost certainly quoting or translating an older source.
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Historical Dictionary Support
Burrill's Law Dictionary is the principal English-language legal dictionary source recording both meanings. Burrill is explicit and economical: he gives the "month" sense first, citing Kelham's dictionary of Norman and Old French as authority, then separately records the "half; middle" sense with the Latin derivation from medius, again citing Kelham. The entry is brief and offers no illustrative passages.
The reliance on Kelham is significant. Robert Kelham's Dictionary of the Norman and Old French Languages (1779) remains one of the primary scholarly resources for Law French vocabulary, and Burrill's entry essentially condenses Kelham's treatment. Researchers who need richer context or illustrative quotations from year books should consult Kelham directly rather than rely on Burrill's summary.
What the historical dictionaries do not supply is guidance on distinguishing the two meanings in practice, nor do they address the abbreviation forms MI and MY with any depth. This is a consistent limitation of the major Law French legal dictionaries: they record forms and meanings but rarely equip the researcher to navigate manuscript ambiguity.
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Jurisdictional Note
MEYS is specific to the English common law tradition and its Law French documentary heritage. It does not appear as a term of art in Scottish, civilian, or American legal sources except in historical quotation. Researchers working in Welsh or Irish medieval records derived from English administrative practice may encounter it, but it carries no independent doctrinal weight in those jurisdictions.
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