noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A writ directed to the sheriff, commanding him to take sureties, called mainpernors, for the prisoner's appearance, and to let him go at large. countable, historical, uncountable
2. 2
   Deliverance of a prisoner on security for his appearance at a day. countable, historical, uncountable

Verb

1. 1
   To allow (a prisoner) to go at large, on his finding sureties, or mainpernors, for his appearance on a given day. transitive

Synonyms

All synonyms

bailbondearnestescrowgagehock

Etymology

From Middle English meynprise, maynprise, from Anglo-Norman mainprise.

Related phrases

at large

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.