Age[d]

What does Age[d] mean in American Law?

The definition of Age[d] in the law of the United States, as defined by the lexicographer Arthur Leff in his legal dictionary is:

The length of time something has lived or existed is its “age.” It may then be described as “sixteen years old,” or “sixteen years of age,” or “age[d] sixteen.”

When pronounced ( ), however, the word indicates that the subject has attained relatively advanced years, but how advanced that must be in any particular context is necessarily uncertain. Some people act old or “aged” at fifty; some centenarians are hale, hearty, and mentally alert. Moreover, almost everyone is “aged” as a football player by forty-five; fisherman may reach their peak in their seventies. Hence, if legal significance is to be attached to advanced years (e.g., a duty to support “aged parents”), it is advisable to do more than just use the term “aged.” And in criminal law (e.g., a statute providing increased punishment for robbing “aged persons”), it

may be unconstitutionally vauge (see vagueness) not to do more. But see age of majority for the problems which arise when, for legal purposes, one measures age solely in terms of elapsed time.