The word for today is…

tort (noun)

– : a wrongful act other than a breach of contract for which relief may be obtained in the form of damages or an injunction

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : Tort came into English straight from French many centuries ago, and it still looks a little odd. Its root meaning of “twisted” (as opposed to “straight”) obviously came to mean “wrong” (as opposed to “right”). Every first-year law student takes a course in the important subject of torts. Torts include all the so-called “product-liability” cases, against manufacturers of cars, household products, children’s toys, and so on. They also cover dog bites, slander and libel, and a huge variety of other very personal cases of injury, both mental and physical—Torts class is never dull. If you’re sued for a tort and lose, you usually have to pay “damages”—that is, a sum of money—to the person who you wronged.

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David is a retired surgeon originally from London who came to New Zealand twenty-seven years ago after being delayed in Singapore for thirteen years on leaving the UK. He was coerced into studying Latin...