Stultify, Stupidity

STULTIFY - To make or declare insane. It is a general rule in the English law, that a man shall not be permitted to stultify himself; that is, he shall not be allowed to plead his insanity to avoid a contract.

In the United States, this rule seems to have been exploded, and the party may himself avoid his acts except those of record, and contracts for necessaries and services rendered, by allegation and proof of insanity.

STUPIDITY - That state of the mind which cannot perceive and embrace the data presented to it by the senses; and therefore the stupid person can, in general, form no correct judgment. It is a want of the perceptive powers.
   

This entry contains material from Bouvier's Legal Dictionary, a work published in the 1850's.