Non-suit

Chambers's Encyclopaedia, Volume 7: Maltebrun to Pearson, p. 516

Non-suit is a legal term in England, which means that, where a plaintiff in a jury trial finds he will lose his case owing to some defect or accident, he is allowed to be non-suited, instead of allowing a verdict and judgment to go for the defendant. But there is now, in general, no difference between the effect of a non-suit and that of a verdict for the defendant.

Source scan(s): p. 0529