Damage, Definition of Damage

Damage is the effect of damaging . The term comes from the Latin damnum and is linked to the verb that refers to causing harm, impairment, discomfort or pain . For example: "Your words have hurt me" , "The bullet caused irreparable damage to the nerves of the left leg" , "The material damage was immense after the fire, but they did not have to regret fatalities or injuries" , "The car suffered a lot of damage from the accident . "

In some countries of the American continent, the notion of damage is used to name the curses or the evil eye (the supposed ability of certain people to cause evil in others just by looking at them): "A witch told me that someone He has done damage . "

In addition to all the above, we can not forget that in certain countries of America, as in the case of Nicaragua or Guatemala, a verbal phrase that incorporates the aforementioned word of harm is used. In particular, we are referring to the expression "doing harm to a maiden" which means deflowering a young woman.

In the field of commerce there is also an expression that makes use of the term we are now analyzing. We are referring to "profits and damages" that comes to exercise fundamentally as a synonym of what would be "profits and losses", that is, the document where they are noting both the benefits that are having a company itself and the aforementioned losses.

For the right , the damage is a loss suffered by a person or his estate because of another subject. The damage, therefore, is a detriment to the rights, assets or interests of an individual as a result of the action or omission of another.

In addition, in the case of Spain, a clear differentiation is established within what the types of damages may be. In this way, they are divided into two groups: moral damages and property damage. The first can say that they are those that have such scope and seriousness that can not be repaired or with the payment of an economic amount whatever. A clear example of moral damage would be the loss of a loved one.

The second, the patrimonial, are those that can be repaired by money or goods that can be replaced by this.

The damage can be generated by fraud, guilt or in a fortuitous manner. The malicious damage occurs when the subject acts intentionally (someone hit with a stick someone else 's car and breaks his glasses, for example). The culpable damage , however, takes place by negligence (a person throws a cigarette in the field and generates a fire).

All damage generates a liability for compensation . In certain cases, the damage may also imply a criminal sanction , when the unlawful act is punishable by law.

Within the field of Law, it is very common that the expression "damages" is also used. With it, what is done is to make clear the existence of an economic compensation that is granted to the person who has suffered damage. It is, therefore, a way to repair and compensate for that.