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Noun: recognizance  ri'kóg-ni-zun(t)s
  1. (law) a security entered into before a court with a condition to perform some act required by law; on failure to perform that act a sum is forfeited
    "The defendant was released on his own recognizance";
    - recognisance [Brit, Cdn]

Derived forms: recognizances

Type of: security, surety

Encyclopedia: Recognizance