ab initio | Wex | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute

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class="container-fluid"> <div class="row"> <div title="Definitions Frame"></div> <div id="extracted-content"> <div id="main-content"> <h1 class="title" id="page-title">ab initio</h1>  <h2 class="element-invisible">Primary tabs</h2> <div id="content1"> <article about="/wex/ab_initio" class="node-7742 node node-wex-cck en view-mode-full clearfix" typeof="sioc:Item foaf:Document"> <header> <span class="rdf-meta element-hidden" content="ab initio" property="dc:title"></span> </header> <div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-6dc06bf4-7fff-2db2-ac26-f3d2d4357195">Ab initio is a Latin term that means "from the beginning” or “from inception.” Ab initio is used to indicate that some </span><a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/fact">fact</a> existed from the start of a relevant time period. It is often used as part of the phrase “void ab initio,” meaning something - such as a marriage - was <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/void">void</a> from the beginning.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-6dc06bf4-7fff-2db2-ac26-f3d2d4357195c1bb0f00-9083-11ef-b8c7-e9213680cfdc">[Last updated in June of 2022 by the</span><a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/lii/about/lii_staff/wdt"> Wex Definitions Team</a>]</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-7 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"> <ul> <li class="field-label">wex <ul class="field-items"> <li class="field-item even"><a aria-label="category: wex: ACADEMIC TOPICS" datatype="" href="/wex/category/academic_topics" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" typeof="skos:Concept">ACADEMIC TOPICS</a></li> <li class="field-item odd"><a aria-label="category: wex: legal education and writing" datatype="" href="/wex/category/legal_education_and_writing" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" typeof="skos:Concept">legal education and writing</a></li> <li class="field-item even"><a aria-label="category: wex: COMMERCE" datatype="" href="/wex/category/commerce" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" typeof="skos:Concept">COMMERCE</a></li> <li class="field-item odd"><a aria-label="category: wex: commercial activities" datatype="" href="/wex/category/commercial_activities" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" typeof="skos:Concept">commercial activities</a></li> <li class="field-item even"><a aria-label="category: wex: business law" datatype="" href="/wex/category/business_law" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" typeof="skos:Concept">business law</a></li> <li class="field-item odd"><a aria-label="category: wex: contracts" datatype="" href="/wex/category/contracts" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" typeof="skos:Concept">contracts</a></li> <li class="field-item even"><a aria-label="category: wex: LIFE EVENTS" datatype="" href="/wex/category/life_events" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" typeof="skos:Concept">LIFE EVENTS</a></li> <li class="field-item odd"><a aria-label="category: wex: family & personal matters" datatype="" href="/wex/category/family_personal_matters" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" typeof="skos:Concept">family & personal matters</a></li> <li class="field-item even"><a aria-label="category: wex: divorce" datatype="" href="/wex/category/divorce" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" typeof="skos:Concept">divorce</a></li> <li class="field-item odd"><a aria-label="category: wex: marriage" datatype="" href="/wex/category/marriage" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" typeof="skos:Concept">marriage</a></li> <li class="field-item even"><a aria-label="category: wex: THE LEGAL PROCESS" datatype="" href="/wex/category/the_legal_process" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" typeof="skos:Concept">THE LEGAL PROCESS</a></li> <li class="field-item odd"><a aria-label="category: wex: criminal law" datatype="" href="/wex/category/criminal_law" 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