wrongous

Wrongful; not right; unjust; illegal.

Adjective

  1. Wrongful; not right; unjust; illegal.
    • It's my opinion that the creature Dougal will have a good action of wrongous imprisonment and damages again him, under the Act seventeen hundred and one, and I'll see the creature righted. - 1817 December 31 (indicated...
    • [T]he prisoner being liberate in manner foresaid, it shall not be lawful to put or detain him in prison for the same crime, under the penalty of wrongous imprisonment, […] - 1828, James Watson, “Wrongous Imprisonment”,...
    • If the prisoner is detained an unreasonable time, he would have an action for wrongous imprisonment. - 1879, James Paterson, Reports of Scotch Appeals in the House of Lords:

Origin

From Middle English wrongous, for earlier wrongwis, wrangwis, from Old English wrangwīs (“wrongous, rough, uneven”), equivalent to wrong + -ous (see also wrongwise). Cognate with Swedish vrångvis (“wrong, iniquitous”). See wrong, and compare righteous.

Forms

more wrongous most wrongous wrongeous

Related

wrongwise

Derived

wrongously wrongousness