Definition
A Latin term from Roman law referring to cutpurses — that is, thieves who stole by cutting the cords or strings by which purses were attached to a person's clothing or belt. The term denotes a recognized category of petty thief in Roman legal tradition, distinguished by the particular method of theft rather than by the value of property taken.
Why It Matters in Research
This term will appear almost exclusively in historical sources dealing with Roman law or in English legal commentaries that draw on Roman legal classifications of criminal offenders. Researchers encountering it in primary sources should treat it as a term of art from Roman criminal taxonomy, not as a term with continuing doctrinal significance in common law systems. Its appearance in Stephen's Commentaries situates it within the English scholarly tradition of cataloguing Roman antecedents to English criminal law categories.
Because the term has no living common law analog and no jurisdictional variation in modern practice, researchers should use it as a signal that the surrounding text is engaged in historical or comparative legal analysis rather than operative legal argument. Cross-reference with broader discussions of Roman theft classifications (furtum, rapina) when tracing the intellectual lineage of larceny doctrine.
Historical Dictionary Support
Black's Law Dictionary (2nd Ed.) provides the sole dictionary treatment identified in the Law Mind corpus, defining saoccularit simply as cutpurses under Roman law and citing Stephen's Commentaries, volume 4, page 125. The entry is spare — Black's offers no elaboration on the procedural treatment of such offenders under Roman law, the penalties applicable, or the relationship of this category to broader Roman theft doctrine. Historical dictionaries generally do not expand on this term beyond its etymological function as a label, which limits the usefulness of cross-dictionary synthesis here. Researchers seeking deeper context should consult direct sources on Roman criminal law rather than relying on dictionary treatments.