Dictum - Definitions from Dictionary.com

7 results for: Dictum

Browse Nearby Entries

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

dic·tum

Audio Help [dik-tuh

m] Pronunciation Key

–noun, plural -ta

Audio Help [-tuh] Pronunciation Key, -tums.

1.	an authoritative pronouncement; judicial assertion.

2.	a saying; maxim.

3.	obiter dictum.

[Origin: 1660–70; < L: something said, a saying, command, word, n. use of neut. ptp. of dīcere to say, speak; cf. index

]

—Synonyms 1. edict, decree, fiat, order, declaration. 2. adage, proverb, truism, saw.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Dictum

To learn more about Dictum visit Britannica.com

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

dic·tum Audio Help (dĭk'təm) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. dic·ta (-tə) or dic·tums

An authoritative, often formal pronouncement: "He cites Augustine's dictum that 'If you understand it, it is not God'" (Joseph Sobran).
Law See obiter dictum.

[Latin, from neuter past participle of dīcere, to say; see deik- in Indo-European roots.]

(Download Now or Buy the Book)

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

o·bi·ter dictum Audio Help (ō'bĭ-tər) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. obiter dicta

Law An opinion voiced by a judge that has only incidental bearing on the case in question and is therefore not binding. Also called dictum.
An incidental remark or observation; a passing comment.

[Latin, something said in passing : obiter, in passing + dictum, something said, from neuter past participle of dīcere, to say.]

(Download Now or Buy the Book)

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
dictum

1670, from L. dictum "thing said," neut. of dictus, pp. of dicere "say" (see diction). In legal use, a judge's expression of opinion which is not the formal resolution of a case.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

dictum
noun
1.	an authoritative declaration [syn: pronouncement]
2.	an opinion voiced by a judge on a point of law not directly bearing on the case in question and therefore not binding [syn: obiter dictum]