in law, a thing done to the annoyance of another.

Nusances are either public or private.—A public nuisance is an offence against the public in general, either by doing what tends to the annoyance of all the king's subjects, or by neglecting to do what the common good requires: in which case, all annoyances and injuries to streets, highways, bridges, and large rivers, as also disorderly ale-houses, bawdy-houses, gaming-houses, stages for rope-dancers, &c. are held to be common nuisances.—A private nuisance is, when only one person or family is annoyed by the doing of any thing; as where a person stops up the light of another's house, or builds in such a manner that the rain falls from his house upon his neighbour's.