1. A legal doctrine allowing a court to apply funds or property to a purpose as close as possible to the original intent when the original purpose becomes impossible or impractical.
Usage: legal; also spelled 'cy pres'

Examples

• The court invoked the doctrine of cypres to redirect the charitable bequest to a similar cause.
• When the original charity ceased to exist, cypres allowed the funds to support a related organization.
• The judge applied cypres principles to honor the donor's general charitable intent.