(Criminal law) Money that must be forfeited by the bondsman if an accused person fails to appear in court for trial; SYN. bail bond, bond.
(Homonym: bale).
A security, bonds, or money deposited with the court to obtain the temporary release of an arrested person, on the assurance that the person will obey the court, as by attending a legal proceeding at a stated time and place. If the person does not attend, the bail may be forfeited.
While the US Constitution nominally guarantees individuals right to reasonable bail, in effect availability of bail and amounts of security necessary to secure bail are set by judges, based on judges' evaluations of the likelihood that a defendant will appear, or likelihood of further criminal acts or danger to the public, on the severity of the charge, and on the economic standing of the accused.

ETYM Latin, from spondere, sponsum, to engage one's self. Related to Spose.
1. One who offers sponsorship to another.
2. One who, at the baptism of an infant, guarantees its religious education; a godfather or godmother.