The words found in Chapter 25 shall be construed and held to mean as follows: Complainant means plaintiff; bill means complaint; suit means action or civil action; and decree means judgment; and all other words and terms found in Chapter 25, heretofore applicable to the chancery practice hereby repealed, shall be so construed and held as to carry out the intention of such chapter, prevent a failure of justice, and give adequate relief in all cases.
§ 25-2226.Terms, defined.
Article 22: Process, Court Records, and Ministerial Officers · Last amended 2002 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceTranslates leftover chancery-era vocabulary still found in Chapter 25 into modern civil-action terms — complainant means plaintiff, bill means complaint, suit means action, and decree means judgment.
Full Text of § 25-2226
Source
Laws 1867, § 5, p. 71; R.S.1913, § 8575; C.S.1922, § 9526; C.S.1929, § 20-2227; R.S.1943, § 25-2226; Laws 2002, LB 876, § 56.
Plain-English Summary
Nebraska’s code replaced the old split between actions at law and suits in equity, but some chancery-court vocabulary survived in scattered statutory language. Section 25-2226 supplies the dictionary. Wherever Chapter 25 uses “complainant,” read it as plaintiff. “Bill” means complaint. “Suit” means action or civil action. “Decree” means judgment.
The section reaches further than those four words. Any other term tied to the old, repealed chancery practice gets construed to carry out the chapter’s intent, prevent a failure of justice, and give full relief. A reader should not stumble over antique terminology; it maps onto the modern civil action framework the rest of the code establishes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “complainant” mean under Nebraska’s civil procedure code?
Plaintiff.
What does “bill” mean in Chapter 25?
Complaint.
Is a “suit” different from an “action” under this code?
No. The section treats them as synonyms — suit means action or civil action.
What does “decree” mean under the code?
Judgment.
Why does Chapter 25 still use old chancery-court words?
They are leftover terminology from before Nebraska merged law and equity into one civil action, and this section tells readers how to construe them consistent with modern practice.
Source & verification. Section text and the amendment-history citation are
reproduced verbatim from the Nebraska Legislature, Revisor of Statutes, enacted by the
Nebraska Legislature. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: complainant means plaintiff nebraskabill means complaint nebraskachancery terms defined civil proceduresuit versus action nebraskadecree means judgment definition