excussio: Meaning and Definition of

ex•cus•si•o

Pronunciation: (ek-skush'ē-ō"), [key]
— n. Civ. Law.
  1. the exhausting of every remedy against a principal debtor before proceeding against a surety.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.