scienter

noun

1. a mental state in which one has knowledge that one’s action, statement, etc., is wrong, deceptive, or illegal: often used as a standard of guilt: The court found that the company had the requisite scienter for securities fraud.

adverb

2. knowingly or deliberately: His wife’s statements were made scienter.

adverb

1. law knowingly; wilfully

adv.legalese Latin, literally “knowingly,” from sciens, present participle of scire “to know” (see science) + adverbial suffix -ter.