Battery Definition and Legal Meaning

On this page, you'll find the legal definition and meaning of Battery, written in plain English, along with examples of how it is used.

What is Battery?

(n) Battery in the contact with another person with an intention to do any harm or offences whether or not such an act inflicts any loss or damage to such person. Battery is a crime which can be sued for damages. Here intention of doing ham must exist

History and Meaning of Battery

Battery is a legal term used to refer to the intentional use of force against another person, without their consent, which results in bodily harm, offense, or contact. The term "battery" originates from the Latin word "battuere," meaning "to beat," and first appeared in the legal lexicon in medieval times.

Initially, battery referred to any type of harmful contact, whether it was physical or not. Over time, it evolved to include only physical contact and was established as a separate crime from assault (threatening to harm someone).

Today, battery is a serious criminal offense, punishable by fines and imprisonment, and can also be pursued as a civil case for damages.

Examples of Battery

  1. If a person intentionally hits another person, causing them to experience pain or injury, it is considered battery.

  2. If a person touches another person without their consent, and it is deemed offensive or harmful, it may be battery.

  3. Threatening to touch someone in a manner that is harmful or offensive, but not following through, is considered assault and not battery.

Legal Terms Similar to Battery

  1. Assault: Threatening someone with physical harm or causing them to fear they will be harmed.

  2. Domestic violence: A pattern of abusive behavior in a relationship that involves one partner using power and control over the other through physical, verbal, or emotional abuse.

  3. Homicide: The act of one person causing the death of another, whether intentionally, recklessly, or through negligence.