Bail
/beɪl/noun
Money or property given as security to ensure someone’s appearance in court, or the act of releasing someone on that security.
Did you know?The legal sense of bail grew out of Anglo-French and Old French words for custody and protection, showing how a word for holding someone safely became a system for holding them legally.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰel-
“to carry, bear, or support”
Latin
Latin
baculum
“a staff or stick”
Late Latin
Latin
bajulare
“to carry a burden”
Old French
Old French
baillier
“to deliver, hand over, entrust, or put in charge”
Middle English
English
baile
“custody, charge, or legal security”
Modern English
English
bail
“security for a prisoner’s release or the act of releasing them on that security”