PASS

9 definitions found across Law Mind sources

PASSAuthored
The Law Mind • 1153 words
Definition
PASS carries several distinct legal meanings depending on context. Each is well-established in practice and historical sources. 1. To transfer or be transferred (conveyancing and property). An interest, title, or estate passes when it moves from one person to another by operation of a conveyance, sale, devise, or legal rule. The term is used in both active and passive constructions: a deed passes title; title passes by the deed. 2. To be entered or rendered (practice and procedure). A judgment, verdict, or order passes for a party when it is delivered in that party's favor. The phrase "let judgment pass for the plaintiff" is a direct survival of this usage. 3. To undergo examination and be approved (general practice). An account passes when it has been examined and accepted without objection. A title passes when it has been examined and approved as good. This usage appears in equity proceedings and commercial contexts alike. 4. A document authorizing movement or certifying identity. In historical usage, a pass was a written certificate — issued by a master, government official, or other authority — permitting a person to travel or be present in a location. In American antebellum law, this term specifically described written permits issued to enslaved persons by slaveholders authorizing them to leave the premises. 5. A bank passbook or similar instrument. In commercial usage, a pass referred to a booklet issued by a bank or merchant to a customer, carried back and forth, in which deposits or account transactions were recorded.
Common Language
Modern common usage (Wiktionary): Wiktionary's primary definitions of pass as a verb include general motion (to go by, to move past, to transfer) and as a noun include a document granting permission to enter or transit a location, a mountain gap, or a sporting action. The legal surname definition is incidental. Historical common usage (Webster's 1913): "To go; to move; to proceed; to be moved or transferred from one point to another; to make a transit." The common meaning of pass as movement or general transfer is close to but not identical with the legal meaning. In law, pass is a term of art that signifies completed legal transfer — title passes when the legal requirements for transfer are satisfied, not merely when physical delivery occurs. The procedural usage (a judgment passes for a party) has no counterpart in ordinary speech and will not be intuited from context.
Recognized Forms
/SUBTYPES Pass (conveyancing): Transfer of a property interest by deed, devise, or operation of law. Pass (verdict/judgment): Entry of a decision in favor of a named party. Pass (account): Approval of an account after examination, common in equity and probate proceedings. Pass (document): A written authorization to move or be present — historically including slave passes under antebellum law, and government-issued travel documents more generally. See also PASSPORT.
Why It Matters in Research
Researchers working in historical sources will encounter pass in contexts that require disambiguation. The word appears in conveyancing instruments, equity decrees, probate records, and procedural orders, often with no label identifying which sense is operative. The conveyancing and procedural uses are most common in legal texts; the documentary sense is most common in administrative and social history sources. The phrase "pass for the plaintiff" or "pass for the defendant" in older reports signals a verdict or judgment in that party's favor — not a grant of permission and not a transfer of property. Misreading this usage is a common source of error when working with pre-twentieth-century case reports. In property law, the precise moment at which title passes has significant downstream consequences for risk of loss, the rights of creditors, and the applicability of recording acts. Historical sources vary in how explicitly they tie this moment to the parties' agreement versus physical delivery versus the deed's execution. Researchers tracing the evolution of the passing-of-title rule across the corpus will find meaningful divergence between equity and common law treatments. The slave pass usage appears in antebellum statutes, court records, and social history documents. It is jurisdictionally specific to slaveholding states and should not be read as a general travel-document term in that period without contextual confirmation. The passbook or bank-pass usage is largely obsolete in modern legal writing but appears in nineteenth-century commercial cases and banking statutes. It should not be confused with negotiable instruments or formal documents of title.
Historical Dictionary Support
The historical dictionaries show substantial agreement on the core meanings. Burrill traces the procedural sense directly to Old French passer and notes its use in the phrase "to pass for" a party. Rapalje & Lawrence lead with the conveyancing sense and connect it to the doctrine of operative words in deeds. Anderson's captures the examination-and-approval sense with case support from the U.S. Supreme Court. Bouvier adds the slave pass definition and the procedural usage. No historical dictionary synthesizes all five senses in a single entry or distinguishes them with structural clarity. Researchers relying on a single source may encounter only one or two of these meanings. Burrill's treatment of the procedural sense is the most precise; Bouvier's treatment of the documentary sense is the most complete for historical legal context. None of the historical dictionaries addresses the moment-of-passage question in sales law with the analytical depth later developed in the Uniform Sales Act and Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code. Historical sources should be used with care for that issue.
Jurisdictional Note
The conveyancing and procedural senses are uniform across common-law jurisdictions. The slave pass usage is specific to antebellum American slaveholding states and has no modern legal application. The moment at which title "passes" in a sale of goods is now governed in most U.S. jurisdictions by UCC Article 2, which displaced earlier common law and equity rules and resolves some ambiguities left open in the historical sources.
Encyclopedia Cross-Reference
Escheat — When Property Passes to the State for Lack of Heirs (Law Mind Trusts, Estates & Probate Encyclopedia): Relevant to the conveyancing sense of pass; addresses one of the legal rules governing the involuntary transfer of a property interest by operation of law.
Related Terms
CONVEYANCE — the instrument by which an estate passes TRANSFER — broader synonym in property contexts OPERATIVE WORDS — doctrine governing which words in a deed accomplish the passage of title VERDICT — judgment passes in connection with a verdict JUDGMENT — procedural sense; judgment passes for or against a party ACCOUNT STATED — related to the examination-and-approval sense PASSPORT — cognate document term; see also historical slave pass usage DELIVERY — related concept in determining when title passes in sales TITLE — the interest that passes in a conveyance or sale ESCHEAT — involuntary passage of property to the state
PASSmain
Rapalje & Lawrence • 1888
ENTER AND OCCUPY, (in a contract). 3 Wend. (Ν. Υ.) 104. ENTER OR ATTEMPT TO ENTER, (in a statute). 5 Mas. (U. S.) 120, 123. ENTERING, (on justice's docket, defined). 74 Ind. 56, 60. ENTERING AN ACTION, (in a statute). 3 Binn. (Pa.) 209, 212. ENTERING ON A REFERENCE, (in procedure act). L. R. 2 Q. B. 523.
PASSmain
Rapalje & Lawrence • 1883
See TRESQuare ejecit infra terminum: WhereQuantum tenens domino ex homafore he ejected within the term. A writ which gio, tantum dominus tenenti ex dom-lay by the ancient law where the wrong-doer or inio debet præter solam reverentiam; ejector was not himself in possession of the mutua debet esse dominii et homagii lands, but another who claimed under him.- fidelitatis connexio (Co. Litt. 64): As much as the tenant by his homage owes to his lord, so much is the lord, by his lordship, indebted to the tenant, except reverence alone; the tie of dominion and of homage ought to be mutual. Reg. Orig. 227.
PASSv.
Websters Unabridged Dictionary (1913) • 1913
To go; to move; to proceed; to be moved or transferred from one point to another; to make a transit; -- usually with a following adverb or adverbal phrase defining the kind or manner of motion; as, to pass on, by, out, in, etc.; to pass swiftly, directly, smoothly, etc.; to pass to the rear, under the yoke, over the bridge, across the field, beyond the border, etc. "But now pass over [i.e., pass on]." Chaucer. On high behests his angels to and fro Passed frequent. Milton. Sweet sounds rose slowly through their mouths, And from their bodies passed. Coleridge. To move or be transferred from one state or condition to another; to change possession, condition, or circumstances; to undergo transition; as, the business has passed into other hands. Others, dissatisfied with what they have, . . . pass from just to unjust. Sir W. Temple. To move beyond the range of the senses or of knowledge; to pass away; hence, to disappear; to vanish; to depart; specifically, to depart from life; to die. Disturb him not, let him pass paceably. Shak. Beauty is a charm, but soon the charm will pass. Dryden. The passing of the sweetest soul That ever looked with human eyes. Tennyson. To move or to come into being or under notice; to come and go in consciousness; hence, to take place; to occur; to happen; to come; to occur progressively or in succession; to be present transitorly. So death passed upon all men. Rom. v. 12. Our own consciousness of what passes within our own mind. I. Watts. To go by or glide by, as time; to elapse; to be spent; as, their vacation passed pleasantly. Now the time is far passed. Mark vi. 35 To go from one person to another; hence, to be given and taken freely; as, clipped coin will not pass; to obtain general acceptance; to be held or regarded; to circulate; to be current; -- followed by for before a word denoting value or estimation. "Let him pass for a man." Shak. False eloquence passeth only where true is not understood. Felton. This will not pass for a fault in him. Atterbury. To advance through all the steps or stages necessary to validity or effectiveness; to be carried through a body that has power to sanction or reject; to receive legislative sanction; to be enacted; as, the resolution passed; the bill passed both houses of Congress. To go through any inspection or test successfully; to be approved or accepted; as, he attempted the examination, but did not expect to pass. To be suffered to go on; to be tolerated; hence, to continue; to live alogn. "The play may pass." Shak. To go unheeded or neglected; to proceed without hindrance or opposition; as, we let this act pass. To go beyond bounds; to surpass; to be in excess. [Obs.] "This passes, Master Ford." Shak. To take heed; to care. [Obs.] As for these silken-coated slaves, I pass not. Shak. To go through the intestines. Arbuthnot. To be conveyed or transferred by will, deed, or other instrument of conveyance; as, an estate passes by a certain clause in a deed. Mozley & W. To make a lunge or pass; to thrust. To decline to play in one's turn; in euchre, to decline to make the trump. She would not play, yet must not pass. Prior. To bring to pass, To come to pass. See under Bring, and Come. -- To pass away, to disappear; to die; to vanish. "The heavens shall pass away." 2 Pet. iii. 10. "I thought to pass away before, but yet alive I am." Tennyson. -- To pass by, to go near and beyond a certain person or place; as, he passed by as we stood there. -- To pass into, to change by a gradual transmission; to blend or unite with. -- To pass on, to proceed. -- To pass on or upon. (a) To happen to; to come upon; to affect. "So death passed upon all men." Rom. v. 12. "Provided no indirect act pass upon our prayers to define them." Jer. Taylor. (b) To determine concerning; to give judgment or sentence upon. "We may not pass upon his life." Shak. -- To pass off, to go away; to cease; to disappear; as, an agitation passes off. -- To pass over, to go from one side or end to the other; to cross, as a river, road, or bridge.
PASSv.
Websters Unabridged Dictionary (1913) • 1913
In simple, transitive senses; as: To go by, beyond, over, through, or the like; to proceed from one side to the other of; as, to pass a house, a stream, a boundary, etc. Hence: To go from one limit to the other of; to spend; to live through; to have experience of; to undergo; to suffer. "To pass commodiously this life." Milton. She loved me for the dangers I had passed. Shak. To go by without noticing; to omit attention to; to take no note of; to disregard. Please you that I may pass This doing. Shak. I pass their warlike pomp, their proud array. Dryden. To transcend; to surpass; to excel; to exceed. And strive to pass . . . Their native music by her skillful art. Spenser. Whose tender power Passes the strength of storms in their most desolate hour. Byron. To go successfully through, as an examination, trail, test, etc.; to obtain the formal sanction of, as a legislative body; as, he passed his examination; the bill passed the senate. In causative senses: as: To cause to move or go; to send; to transfer from one person, place, or condition to another; to transmit; to deliver; to hand; to make over; as, the waiter passed bisquit and cheese; the torch was passed from hand to hand. I had only time to pass my eye over the medals. Addison. Waller passed over five thousand horse and foot by Newbridge. Clarendon. To cause to pass the lips; to utter; to pronounce; hence, to promise; to pledge; as, to pass sentence. Shak. Father, thy word is passed. Milton. To cause to advance by stages of progress; to carry on with success through an ordeal, examination, or action; specifically, to give legal or official sanction to; to ratify; to enact; to approve as valid and just; as, he passed the bill through the committee; the senate passed the law. To put in circulation; to give currency to; as, to pass counterfeit money. "Pass the happy news." Tennyson. To cause to obtain entrance, admission, or conveyance; as, to pass a person into a theater, or over a railroad. To emit from the bowels; to evacuate. To take a turn with (a line, gasket, etc.), as around a sail in furling, and make secure. To make, as a thrust, punto, etc. Shak. Passed midshipman. See under Midshipman. -- To pass a dividend, to omit the declaration and payment of a dividend at the time when due. -- To pass away, to spend; to waste. "Lest she pass away the flower of her age." Ecclus. xlii. 9. -- To pass by. (a) To disregard; to neglect. (b) To excuse; to spare; to overlook. -- To pass off, to impose fraudulently; to palm off. "Passed himself off as a bishop." Macaulay. -- To pass (something) on or upon (some one), to put upon as a trick or cheat; to palm off. "She passed the child on her husband for a boy." Dryden. -- To pass over, to overlook; not to note or resent; as, to pass over an affront.
PASSn.
Websters Unabridged Dictionary (1913) • 1913
An opening, road, or track, available for passing; especially, one through or over some dangerous or otherwise impracticable barrier; a passageway; a defile; a ford; as, a mountain pass. "Try not the pass!" the old man said. Longfellow. A thrust or push; an attempt to stab or strike an adversary. Shak. A movement of the hand over or along anything; the manipulation of a mesmerist. A single passage of a bar, rail, sheet, etc., between the rolls. State of things; condition; predicament. Have his daughters brought him to this pass. Shak. Matters have been brought to this pass. South. Permission or license to pass, or to go and come; a psssport; a ticket permitting free transit or admission; as, a railroad or theater pass; a military pass. A ship sailing under the flag and pass of an enemy. Kent. Fig.: a thrust; a sally of wit. Shak. Estimation; character. [Obs.] Common speech gives him a worthy pass. Shak. A part; a division. [Obs.] Chaucer. Pass boat (Naut.), a punt, or similar boat. -- Pass book. (a) A book in which a trader enters articles bought on credit, and then passes or sends it to the purchaser. (b) See Bank book. -- Pass box (Mil.), a wooden or metallic box, used to carry cartridges from the service magazine to the piece. -- Pass check, a ticket of admission to a place of entertainment, or of readmission for one who goes away in expectation of returning.
Passname
Wiktionary (English) • 2026
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A surname.
PASSnoun
Wiktionary (English) • 2026
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Initialism of positive alternative to school suspension. | Initialism of penile artery shunt syndrome. | Initialism of personal alert safety system. | Used to remember how to use a fire extinguisher: pull the pin, aim at the base (of the fire), squeeze the handle/trigger, sweep from side to side.
passverb
Wiktionary (English) • 2026
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To change place. | To move or be moved from one place to another. | To change place. | To go past, by, over, or through; to proceed from one side to the other of; to move past. | To change place. | To cause to move or go; to send; to transfer from one person, place, or condition to another. | To change place. | To eliminate (something) from the body by natural processes. | To change place. | To take a turn with (a line, gasket, etc.), as around a sail in furling, and make secure. | To change place. | To make various kinds of movement. | To kick (the ball) with precision rather than at full force. | To change place. | To make various kinds of movement. | To move (the ball or puck) to a teammate. | To change place. | To make various kinds of movement. | To make a lunge or swipe. | To change place. | To make various kinds of movement. | To throw the ball, generally downfield, towards a teammate. | To change place. | To go from one person to another. | To change place. | To put in circulation; to give currency to. | To change place. | To cause to obtain entrance, admission, or conveyance. | To change place. | To put through a sieve. | To change in state or status | To progress from one state to another; to advance. | To change in state or status | To depart, to cease, to come to an end. | To change in state or status | To die. | To change in state or status | To achieve a successful outcome from. | To change in state or status | To advance through all the steps or stages necessary to become valid or effective; to obtain the formal sanction of (a legislative body). | To change in state or status | To be conveyed or transferred by will, deed, or other instrument of conveyance. | To change in state or status | To cause to advance by stages of progress; to carry on with success through an ordeal, examination, or action; specifically, to give legal or official sanction to; to ratify; to enact; to approve as valid and just. | To change in state or status | To make a judgment on or upon a person or case. | To change in state or status | To utter; to pronounce; to pledge. | To change in state or status | To change from one state to another (without the implication of progression). | To move through time. | To elapse, to be spent. | To move through time. | To spend. | To move through time. | To allow to go by without noticing; to omit attention to; to take no note of; to disregard. | To move through time. | To continue. | To move through time. | To proceed without hindrance or opposition. | To move through time. | To live through; to have experience of; to undergo; to suffer. | To move through time. | To happen. | To be accepted. | To be tolerated as a substitute for something else, to "do". | To be accepted. | To be accepted by others as a member of a race, sex, or other group to which one does not belong or would not have originally appeared to belong; especially to be considered white although one has black ancestry, or a woman although one was assigned male at birth or vice versa. | To refrain from doing something. | To decline something that is offered or available. | To refrain from doing something. | To reject; to pass up. | To refrain from doing something. | To decline or not attempt to answer a question. | To refrain from doing something. | In turn-based games, to decline to play in one's turn. | To refrain from doing something. | In euchre, to decline to make the trump. | To do or be better. | To go beyond bounds; to surpass; to be in excess. | To do or be better. | To transcend; to surpass; to excel; to exceed. | To take heed, to have an interest, to care.

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