READING - The Law Mind Legal Dictionary

READINGAuthored

The Law Mind • 1005 words

Definition

In law, "reading" refers to two distinct concepts depending on context:

1. **Document reading (contracts, deeds, wills).** The act by which a party to a legal instrument acquires knowledge of its contents — either by reading it personally or by having it read aloud by another. A party who signs or executes a written instrument is presumed to have read and understood it. Where a party is blind, illiterate, or otherwise unable to read, the instrument must be read aloud to them. If a document is read falsely or misrepresented in its reading, the instrument may be rendered void as against that party.

2. **Legislative reading.** A formal procedural stage in the passage of a bill through a legislative body. Most legislatures require that a bill be "read" — originally aloud in full, now typically by title — on multiple separate occasions (usually three) before it may be put to a vote. Each occasion is called a "reading," and the requirement exists to ensure deliberation and notice to members.

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Common Language

**Modern common usage (Wiktionary):** Wiktionary's primary entries for "Reading" as a common noun address the act of reading text, comprehension, interpretation, and formal recitation (e.g., a poetry reading). As a verb-derived noun, it denotes the activity of processing written language.

**Historical common usage (Webster's 1913):** "The act of one who reads; perusal… A lecture or prelection; public recital… The way in which anything reads; force of a word or passage presented by a documentary authority; lection; version."

The gap between common and legal meaning is meaningful in both directions. In contract and deed law, "reading" is not merely a cognitive act but a legal event with presumptive consequences — a party's failure to read a document they were capable of reading does not excuse them from its terms. In legislative procedure, "reading" has become a formal ritual largely divorced from actual oral recitation, which can mislead researchers expecting historical readings to resemble modern practice.

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Recognized Forms

/SUBTYPES

**First reading.** Introduction of a bill; typically a reading by title only. In historical practice, the full text might be read aloud.

**Second reading.** The stage at which the bill is debated in principle; the substantive deliberative phase.

**Third reading.** Final consideration before vote; often a reading by title only. Passage on third reading sends the bill to the other chamber or to the executive.

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Why It Matters in Research

**Document execution and the reading presumption.** The presumption that a signed instrument has been read is a recurring issue in fraud, misrepresentation, and mistake cases. Researchers examining historical deed and contract disputes will encounter arguments about whether a party was literate, whether the document was read accurately, and whether a false reading vitiates consent. Anderson's entry explicitly flags that a falsely read deed "will be void" — a point that does not always surface clearly in general contract doctrine discussions. Watch for this in equity records and chancery proceedings where illiteracy was more commonly pleaded.

**Legislative readings and constitutional requirements.** Many state constitutions require that bills receive three readings on separate days before passage. These provisions were designed to prevent hasty legislation. In historical legislative records, references to "reading" may indicate a genuine procedural step with constitutional significance — failure to comply could render a statute invalid. Researchers working with legislative history must distinguish between states where three readings are constitutionally mandated and those where it is merely a standing rule.

**Shift from oral to formal/title-only reading.** In early legislative practice, bills were read aloud in full — a genuine informational mechanism. Over time, as bill volumes increased, legislatures shifted to reading by title only. This means that a "reading" in an 1820 state legislature and a "reading" in a 1920 legislature may be procedurally identical in name but substantively different in practice. Historical legislative debates that reference readings may reflect a more deliberative process than modern researchers assume.

**Wills and testamentary readings.** In will execution and probate, whether a testator read or had read to them the contents of a will is relevant to capacity and undue influence determinations. Historical probate records frequently contain witness testimony about the reading of a will at execution.

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Historical Dictionary Support

Bouvier and Anderson converge on the document-reading definition and share the core presumption: execution implies prior reading. Bouvier is more precise on the mechanics, noting that the reading may be performed by the party or by another person on their behalf and that the presumption of reading attaches upon execution. Anderson adds the critical corollary — that a false reading voids the instrument — and notes the specific case of a party who *could* read but chose not to, flagging that such a party may be bound regardless.

Neither dictionary develops the legislative reading definition at any length, reflecting the period's tendency to treat legislative procedure as a matter of parliamentary practice rather than legal doctrine proper. Researchers relying solely on these sources for the legislative dimension will find them insufficient. Historical treatises on legislative practice and state constitutional commentaries are the more productive sources for that strand.

Webster's 1913 captures the transitional quality of the word well: its definition encompasses both the personal cognitive act and the formal public recital, mirroring the dual function "reading" performs in legal contexts.

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Jurisdictional Note

The three-readings requirement for legislation is constitutionally mandated in many U.S. states but not in others, and the precise requirements vary — some require readings on separate days, some on separate legislative days, some permit waiver by supermajority. The federal Congress has no constitutional three-readings requirement, though House and Senate rules address the practice. Researchers examining the validity of historical state statutes should check the applicable state constitution directly.

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READINGmain

Anderson's Dictionary of Law • 1890

A legislature may ratify any act which it might have authorized.1 See RETROSPECTIVE. See INFLUENCE. 1. A deed should be read whenever any party to it desires it. If he can, he should read it himself; if he is blind, or illiterate, another should read it to him. If it is read falsely, it will be void.2 If a party who can read will not read a deed placed before him for execution, or if, being unable to read, he will not demand to have it read or explained to him, he is guilty of supine negligence, which is not the subject of protection, in equity or in law. If a party who can read and write signs a contract without reading the contents, he will be bound by the contract, in the absence of fraud or coercion in procuring his signature. It is no defense that the defendant was misled as to the contents and effect of the writing, unless it also appears that by reason of some disability he was incapable of reading and comprehending the writing for himself, or that he was imposed upon by some fraudulent device, as, the substitution of one writing for another.5 If an applicant for life insurance is required to answer questions relating to material facts in writing, and to subscribe his name thereto, it is his duty to read the answers beforehand, and it will be presumed that he read them." It is not necessary for a devisee to prove that the will was read to the testator in the presence of the witnesses. In general, this is to be presumed; but if the testator was blind, or incapable of reading, or if a reasonable ground be laid for believing that it was not read to him, or that there was fraud in the transaction, it is necessary for the devisee to satisfy the 134 La. An. 94, 117. 22 Bl. Com. 304. $ Greenfield's Estate, 14 Pa. 496 (1850), Gibson, C. J.; Pennsylvania R. Co. v. Shay, 82 id. 203 (1876); Pacific Guano Co. v. Anglin, 82 Ala. 496 (1887). Illinois Central R. Co. v. Jonte, 13 Bradw. 430 (1883). Taylor v. Fleckenstein, 20 F. R. 100 (1887), cases; 17 Alb. Law J. 7-10 (1883) - Irish Law Times. New York Life Ins. Co. v. Fletcher, 117 U. S. 53233 (1886), Field, J.

READINGmain

Bouvier's Law Dictionary • 1928

The act of pronouncing aloud, or of acquiring by actual inspection, a knowledge of the contents of a writing or of a printed document. In order to enable a party to a contract, or a devisor, to know what a paper con- tains, it must be read, either by the party himself or by some other persons to him. When a person signs or executes a paper, it will be presumed that it has been read to him; 14 Pa. 496; 82 id. 203; see 82 Ala. 496; 117 U. S. 532; but this presumption may be rebutted. In the case of a blind testator, if it can be proved that the will was not read to him, it cannot be sustained; 3 Wash. C. C. 580. But when the testator was blind and there are any circumstances giving reason- able ground for suspicion of fraud or im- position, the burden is on those who support the will to show that it was read to him; 1 Houst. 44. Where one who cannot read or write is disqualified for jury service, the words mean that he must be able to do so in the English language, and that he is able to read and write in German will not remove the objection; 12 Tex. App. 167.

READINGn.

Websters Unabridged Dictionary (1913) • 1913

The act of one who reads; perusal; also, printed or written matter to be read. Study of books; literary scholarship; as, a man of extensive reading. A lecture or prelection; public recital. The Jews had their weekly readings of the law. Hooker. The way in which anything reads; force of a word or passage presented by a documentary authority; lection; version. Manner of reciting, or acting a part, on the stage; way of rendering. [Cant] An observation read from the scale of a graduated instrument; as, the reading of a barometer. Reading of a bill (Legislation), its normal recital, by the proper officer, before the House which is to consider it.

READINGa.

Websters Unabridged Dictionary (1913) • 1913

Of or pertaining to the act of reading; used in reading. Addicted to reading; as, a reading community. Reading book, a book for teaching reading; a reader.  -- Reading desk, a desk to support a book while reading; esp., a desk used while reading the service in a church.  -- Reading glass, a large lens with more or less magnifying power, attached to a handle, and used in reading, etc.  -- Reading man, one who reads much; hence, in the English universities, a close, industrious student.  -- Reading room, a room appropriated to reading; a room provided with papers, periodicals, and the like, to which persons resort.

Readingname

Wiktionary (English) • 2026

Wiktionary contributors • CC BY-SA 4.0 • via Kaikki
Extracted and formatted for display by Law Mind. Source link opens the current Wiktionary page and its contributor history; it is not a frozen copy of this extract.

A surname. | A large town in Berkshire, England. | A number of places in the United States: | A minor city in Lyon County, Kansas. | A number of places in the United States: | A town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. | A number of places in the United States: | A city and township in Hillsdale County, Michigan. | A number of places in the United States: | An unincorporated community in Nobles County, Minnesota. | A number of places in the United States: | A ghost town in Pike County, Missouri. | A number of places in the United States: | A town in Schuyler County, New York. | A number of places in the United States: | A city in Hamilton County, Ohio. | A number of places in the United States: | An unincorporated community in Columbiana County, Ohio. | A number of places in the United States: | A city, the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, named after Reading in Berkshire, England. | A number of places in the United States: | A town in Windsor County, Vermont. | A number of places in the United States: | A number of other townships, listed under Reading Township. | A small town in Saint James parish, Jamaica.

readingverb

Wiktionary (English) • 2026

present participle and gerund of read

readingnoun

Wiktionary (English) • 2026

The process of interpreting written language. | The process of interpreting written language. | The process of interpreting a symbol, a sign or a measuring device. | The process of interpreting written language. | An interpretation. | A value indicated by a measuring device. | An event at which written material is read aloud. | The wording of a version of a text in a particular place or context. | A pronunciation associated with a particular character or word; particularly in East Asian scripts. | Something to read; reading material. | The extent of what one has read. | One of several stages a bill passes through before becoming law. | A piece of literature or passage of scripture read aloud to an audience. | The content of a reading list. | The act or process of imagining sequences of potential moves and responses without actually placing stones.

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