(Law) A process issued by a presiding judge or by a court against a person guilty of some contempt, or indicted for some crime; -- so called in distinction from a justice's warrant. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ [ So called from the Law L. words quo warranto (by what authority), in the original Latin form of the writ. See Which, and Warrant. ] (Law) A writ brought before a proper tribunal, to inquire by what warrant a person or a corporation acts, or exercises certain powers. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ An information in the nature of a quo warranto is now common as a substitute for the writ. Wharton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not warrantable; indefensible; not vindicable; not justifiable; illegal; unjust; improper. -- Un*war"rant*a*ble*ness, n. -- Un*war"rant*a*bly, adv. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not warranted; being without warrant, authority, or guaranty; unwarrantable. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. warant, OF. warant a warrant, a defender, protector, F. garant, originally a p. pr. of German origin, fr. OHG. werēn to grant, warrant, G. gewähren; akin to OFries. wera. Cf. Guarantee. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. That which warrants or authorizes; a commission giving authority, or justifying the doing of anything; an act, instrument, or obligation, by which one person authorizes another to do something which he has not otherwise a right to do; an act or instrument investing one with a right or authority, and thus securing him from loss or damage; commission; authority. Specifically: -- [ 1913 Webster ]

(a) A writing which authorizes a person to receive money or other thing. [ 1913 Webster ]

(b) (Law) A precept issued by a magistrate authorizing an officer to make an arrest, a seizure, or a search, or do other acts incident to the administration of justice. [ 1913 Webster ]

(c) (Mil. & Nav.) An official certificate of appointment issued to an officer of lower rank than a commissioned officer. See Warrant officer, below. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which vouches or insures for anything; guaranty; security. [ 1913 Webster ]

I give thee warrant of thy place. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

His worth is warrant for his welcome hither. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. That which attests or proves; a voucher. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Right; legality; allowance. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bench warrant. (Law) See in the Vocabulary. --
Dock warrant (Com.), a customhouse license or authority. --
General warrant. (Law) See under General. --
Land warrant. See under Land. --
Search warrant. (Law) See under Search, n. --
Warrant of attorney (Law), written authority given by one person to another empowering him to transact business for him; specifically, written authority given by a client to his attorney to appear for him in court, and to suffer judgment to pass against him by confession in favor of some specified person. Bouvier. --
Warrant officer, a noncommissioned officer, as a sergeant, corporal, bandmaster, etc., in the army, or a quartermaster, gunner, boatswain, etc., in the navy. --
Warrant to sue and defend. (a) (O. Eng. Law) A special warrant from the crown, authorizing a party to appoint an attorney to sue or defend for him. (b) A special authority given by a party to his attorney to commence a suit, or to appear and defend a suit in his behalf. This warrant is now disused. Burrill. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Warranted; p. pr. & vb. n. Warranting. ] [ OE. waranten, OF. warantir, garantir, guarantir, garentir, garandir, F. garantir to warrant, fr. OF. warant, garant, guarant, a warrant, a protector, a defender, F. garant. √142. See Warrant, n. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. To make secure; to give assurance against harm; to guarantee safety to; to give authority or power to do, or forbear to do, anything by which the person authorized is secured, or saved harmless, from any loss or damage by his action. [ 1913 Webster ]

That show I first my body to warrant. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

I'll warrant him from drowning. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

In a place
Less warranted than this, or less secure,
I can not be. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To support by authority or proof; to justify; to maintain; to sanction; as, reason warrants it. [ 1913 Webster ]

True fortitude is seen in great exploits,
That justice warrants, and that wisdom guides. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

How little while it is since he went forth out of his study, -- chewing a Hebrew text of Scripture in his mouth, I warrant. Hawthorne. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To give a warrant or warranty to; to assure as if by giving a warrant to. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ My neck is ] as smooth as silk, I warrant ye. L' Estrange. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Law) (a) To secure to, as a grantee, an estate granted; to assure. (b) To secure to, as a purchaser of goods, the title to the same; to indemnify against loss. (c) To secure to, as a purchaser, the quality or quantity of the goods sold, as represented. See Warranty, n., 2. (d) To assure, as a thing sold, to the purchaser; that is, to engage that the thing is what it appears, or is represented, to be, which implies a covenant to make good any defect or loss incurred by it. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Authorized by commission, precept, or right; justifiable; defensible; as, the seizure of a thief is always warrantable by law and justice; falsehood is never warrantable. [ 1913 Webster ]

His meals are coarse and short, his employment warrantable, his sleep certain and refreshing. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- War"rant*a*ble*ness, n. -- War"rant*bly, adv. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Law) The person to whom a warrant or warranty is made. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who warrants, gives authority, or legally empowers. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) One who assures, or covenants to assure; one who contracts to secure another in a right, or to make good any defect of title or quality; one who gives a warranty; a guarantor; as, the warranter of a horse. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. warentise, warandise, garantise. See Warrant, n. ] Authority; security; warranty. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To warrant. [ Obs. ] Hakluyt. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Law) One who warrants. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Warranties [ OF. warantie, F. garantie. See Warrant, n., and cf. Guaranty. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (Anc. Law) A covenant real, whereby the grantor of an estate of freehold and his heirs were bound to warrant and defend the title, and, in case of eviction by title paramount, to yield other lands of equal value in recompense. This warranty has long singe become obsolete, and its place supplied by personal covenants for title. Among these is the covenant of warranty, which runs with the land, and is in the nature of a real covenant. Kent. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Modern Law) An engagement or undertaking, express or implied, that a certain fact regarding the subject of a contract is, or shall be, as it is expressly or impliedly declared or promised to be. In sales of goods by persons in possession, there is an implied warranty of title, but, as to the quality of goods, the rule of every sale is, Caveat emptor. Chitty. Bouvier. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Insurance Law) A stipulation or engagement by a party insured, that certain things, relating to the subject of insurance, or affecting the risk, exist, or shall exist, or have been done, or shall be done. These warranties, when express, should appear in the policy; but there are certain implied warranties. Bouvier. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Justificatory mandate or precept; authority; warrant. [ R. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

If they disobey precept, that is no excuse to us, nor gives us any warranty . . . to disobey likewise. Kettlewe&unr_;&unr_;. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Security; warrant; guaranty. [ 1913 Webster ]

The stamp was a warranty of the public. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- See Guarantee. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To warrant; to guarantee. [ 1913 Webster ]