bill of particulars

1 9.9

A written list that the prosecution gives to show the specific charges and facts about what the accused did

noun
/bɪl əv pərˈtɪkjʊlərz/

Formal

: escrito de cargos

In preparation for the court hearing, the defendant reviewed the bill of particulars to understand the claims made against him.

Examples

Kornbluh's bill of particulars and the supporting documents he has uncovered confirm the deep involvement of the U.S. intelligence services in Chile prior to and after the coup.

Academic text (2003)
The lawyer filed a bill of particulars to outline the charges against his client.
Before the trial, the prosecution presented a detailed bill of particulars to clarify the accusations.

Surface Forms

bill of particulars singular

bills of particulars plural

Morphology

bill + of + particular

The compound is literally a 'bill' (a written document) 'of particulars' (specific facts or details), so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a document listing specific details. Although the term has a specialized legal function, the basic compositional meaning (a written list of particulars) is directly derivable and follows common noun-of-noun composition patterns.

Etymology

Bill of particulars comes from old court practice: a bill was a written paper and particulars were the specific facts listed, so the people bringing the charge would give the accused a written list of details. That's why today bill of particulars means 'a detailed written statement' of the charges the accused must answer.