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gravamen

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia 0.03 sec.

The basis or essence of a grievance; the issue upon which a particular controversy turns.

The gravamen of a criminal charge or complaint is the material part of the charge.

In English ecclesiastical law, the term gravamen referred to a grievance of which the clergy complained before the bishops in convocation.


gravamen n. the basic gist of every claim (cause of action) or charge in a complaint, particularly the failure to perform. Example: in an accident case, the gravamen may be the negligence of the defendant, and in a contract case, it may be the breach of the defendant. (See: complaint, cause of action, charge)


gravamen noun burden of a charge, cardinal point, center, central point, content, core, cornerstone, crux, essence, essence of a grievance, essential matter, essential part, essential point, focal point, gist, gist of a charge, key, keystone, main point, material part, material point, nucleus, pith, pivotal point, principal part, root, salient point, sine qua non, spirit, substance, substantial cause, substantial part of a complaint, sum and substance, thrust
Associated concepts: gravamen of a complaint
See also: center, content, cornerstone, essence, gist, impugnation, main point, meaning

GRAVAMEN. The grievance complained of; the substantial cause, of the action. See Greenl. Ev. Sec. 66.



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What Babbitt sees as the supreme need for moral responsibility is precisely the inner gravamen that resists the sophistries and the blandishments found in so much of modern political theory and practice, flourishing "in an atmosphere of vague and inaccurate definition," and one that inevitably infects contemporary habits of mind.
The gravamen of this attack is that the President, in order to facilitate the Second Coming, "marches the world towards Armageddon.
The gravamen of Hanushek's 30 years of research is that public schools are notoriously inefficient at converting additional dollars into improved student learning.
 
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