\In*dem"ni*ty\, n.; pl. {Indemnities}. [L. indemnitas,
fr. indemnis uninjured: cf. F. indemnit['e]. See
{Indemnify}.]
1. Security; insurance; exemption from loss or damage, past
   or to come; immunity from penalty, or the punishment of
   past offenses; amnesty.
         Having first obtained a promise of indemnity for the
         riot they had committed.              --Sir W.
                                               Scott.
2. Indemnification, compensation, or remuneration for loss,
   damage, or injury sustained.
         They were told to expect, upon the fall of Walpole,
         a large and lucrative indemnity for their pretended
         wrongs.                               --Ld. Mahon.
Note: Insurance is a contract of indemnity. --Arnould. The
      owner of private property taken for public use is
      entitled to compensation or indemnity. --Kent.
{Act of indemnity} (Law), an act or law passed in order to
   relieve persons, especially in an official station, from
   some penalty to which they are liable in consequence of
   acting illegally, or, in case of ministers, in consequence
   of exceeding the limits of their strict constitutional
   powers. These acts also sometimes provide compensation for
   losses or damage, either incurred in the service of the
   government, or resulting from some public measure.