Obreption

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of obtaining something, especially consent or a document, through deceit or fraud; a legal term referring to deception used to secure an agreement or signature
2. The practice of acquiring approval or authorization by misleading means; a concept in law describing fraudulent inducement to gain a contract or signature
3. The process of securing consent or paperwork by dishonest representation; a juridical notion denoting the use of trickery to effectuate a legal transaction

Etymology: Obreption is a term from Roman law and Catholic canon law, where it meant obtaining a favour, such as a dispensation or a legal ruling, by concealing or misrepresenting the facts. The Latin "obreptio" comes from "obrepo," which combined "ob," meaning "toward" or "against," with "repo," meaning "to creep." The image is of something sneaking up on its target unnoticed. The word's literal sense is therefore physical, a creeping approach, while its legal sense rests on the idea of getting something through without the authorities seeing what was really going on. Its near relative "subreption," from "subrepo," follows the same pattern, and the pair appear together in older legal writing about grants and dispensations obtained on false pretences.

Synonyms: fraud, deception

Antonyms: honesty, truthfulness