1.020.  Definitions. — As used in the statutory laws of this state, unless otherwise specially provided or unless plainly repugnant to the intent of the legislature or to the context thereof:

  (1)  "Certified mail" or "certified mail with return receipt requested", includes certified mail carried by the United States Postal Service, or any parcel or letter carried by an overnight, express, or ground delivery service that allows a sender or recipient to electronically track its location and provides record of the signature of the recipient;

  (2)  "County or circuit attorney" means prosecuting attorney;

  (3)  "Executor" includes administrator where the subject matter applies to an administrator;

  (4)  "General election" means the election required to be held on the Tuesday succeeding the first Monday of November, biennially;

  (5)  "Guardian", if used in a section in a context relating to property rights or obligations, means conservator of the estate as defined in chapter 475.  "Guardianship", if used in a section in a context relating to rights and obligations other than property rights or obligations, means guardian of the person as defined in chapter 475;

  (6)  "Handicap" means a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, whether the impairment is congenital or acquired by accident, injury, or disease, and where the impairment is verified by medical findings;

  (7)  "Heretofore" means any time previous to the day when the statute containing it takes effect; and "hereafter" means the time after the statute containing it takes effect;

  (8)  "In vacation" includes any adjournment of court for more than one day whenever any act is authorized to be done by or any power given to a court, or judge thereof in vacation, or whenever any act is authorized to be done by or any power given to a clerk of any court in vacation;

  (9)  "Incompetent", if used in a section in a context relating to actual occupational ability without reference to a court adjudication of incompetency, means the actual ability of a person to perform in that occupation.  "Incompetent", if used in a section in a context relating to the property rights and obligations of a person, means a disabled person as defined in chapter 475.  "Incompetent", if used in a section in a context relating to the rights and obligations of a person other than property rights and obligations, means an incapacitated person as defined in chapter 475;

  (10)  "Justice of the county court" means commissioner of the county commission;

  (11)  "Month" and "year".  "Month" means a calendar month, and "year" means a calendar year unless otherwise expressed, and is equivalent to the words year of our Lord;

  (12)  The word "person" may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, and to partnerships and other unincorporated associations;

  (13)  "Personal property" includes money, goods, chattels, things in action and evidences of debt;

  (14)  "Place of residence" means the place where the family of any person permanently resides in this state, and the place where any person having no family generally lodges;

  (15)  "Preceding" and "following", when used by way of reference to any section of the statutes, mean the section next preceding or next following that in which the reference is made, unless some other section is expressly designated in the reference;

  (16)  "Property" includes real and personal property;

  (17)  "Real property" or "premises" or "real estate" or "lands" is coextensive with lands, tenements and hereditaments;

  (18)  "State", when applied to any of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" includes such district and territories;

  (19)  "Under legal disability" includes persons within the age of minority or of unsound mind or imprisoned;

  (20)  "Ward", if used in a section in a context relating to the property rights and obligations of a person, means a protectee as defined in chapter 475.  "Ward", if used in a section in a context relating to the rights and obligations of a person other than property rights and obligations, means a ward as defined in chapter 475;

  (21)  "Will" includes the words testament and codicil;

  (22)  "Written" and "in writing" and "writing word for word" includes printing, lithographing, or other mode of representing words and letters, but in all cases where the signature of any person is required, the proper handwriting of the person, or his mark, is intended.