damnum

Damnum is a Latin noun meaning harm, damage, or loss. In legal and economic contexts, it denotes a detriment suffered by a person or property. Etymology traces damnum to Latin, with cognates in several Romance languages such as Italian danno and Spanish daño, reflected in English legal Latin phrases.

In Roman law and its descendants, damnum refers to the detriment for which liability may be imposed, typically in connection with injuria or fault. In modern civil-law jurisdictions and in many common-law systems that incorporate Roman-law concepts, damages are the monetary compensation owed for harm caused.

A central legal distinction is between damnum emergens and lucrum cessans. Damnum emergens covers actual loss or expense incurred due to the wrong or event. Lucrum cessans covers lost profits or opportunities that would have been realized but for the act. Together, these components may form the total damages awarded, subject to proof and foreseeability.

Damnum absque injuria is a classic doctrine describing loss or damage that occurs without a corresponding legal wrong or liability. Examples include natural disasters, certain regulatory or market changes, or harms resulting from lawful competition without fault.

Usage and scope vary by jurisdiction. The term damnum remains common in formal legal writing, particularly in civil-law traditions and international law, but in everyday language, it is more often expressed as damages or loss.