‖ dehors, prep. and n.
(dəˈhɔːr)
[a. OF. dehors, prep., mod.F. dehors adv. and n.; OF. also defors, Pr. defors, Cat. defora, Sp. defuera, a late L. or Romanic comb. of de prep. + L. forās out of doors, forth, also in sense of L. forīs out of doors, outside, without. Cf. It. fuor, fuora, fuori.]
A. prep. (Law.) Outside of; not within the scope of.
| 1701 Law French Dict., Dehors, out, without. 1818 Cruise Digest (ed. 2) VI. 196 The Judge..was of opinion that nothing dehors the will could be received to show the intention of the devisor. 1885 Ld. Esher in Law Times LXXIX. 445/1 The trustees were named in the deed, but who they were was a fact dehors the deed. |
† B. n. (Fortif.) See quot. Obs.
| 1706 Phillips (ed. Kersey), Dehors..in Fortification, all sorts of separate Out-works, as Crown-works, Horn-works, Half-moons, Ravelins, etc., made for the better security of the main place. 1721 in Bailey; and in mod. Dicts. |