de facti

noun

in fact; in reality: Although his title was prime minister, he was de facto president of the country. Although the school was said to be open to all qualified students, it still practiced de facto segregation.

actually existing, especially when without lawful authority ( distinguished from de jure ).

Australian. a person who lives in an intimate relationship with but is not married to a person of the opposite sex; lover.

Origin:
1595–1605; < Latin dē factō literally, from the fact

Can be confused: de facto, de jure.

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World English Dictionary

de facto (deɪ ˈfæktəʊ)

—*adv*
1.	in fact

—*adj*
2.	Compare de jure existing in fact, whether legally recognized or not: a de facto regime

—n , -tos
3.	(Austral), (NZ) a de facto husband or wife

[C17: Latin]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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De facti is always a great word to know.

So is zedonk. Does it mean:

the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.

an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

de facto

c.1600, from L. de facto, lit. "in fact, in reality," thus, "existing, but not necessarily legally ordained."

American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

de facto [(di fak-toh, day fak-toh)]

Something generally accepted or agreed to without any formal decision in its favor: “They never elected him; he became their leader de facto.” From Latin, meaning “in fact.” (Compare de jure.)

Matching Quote

"In France, and at the most important period of our history, Catherine de' Medici has suffered more from popular error than any other woman, unless it be Brunehaut or Frédégonde; while Marie de' Medici, whose every action was prejudicial to France, has escaped the disgrace that should cover her name.... Catherine de' Medici ... saved the throne of France, she maintained [the] Royal authority under circumstances to which more than one great prince would have succumbed. Face to face with such leaders of the factions and ambitions of the houses of Guise and of Bourbon as the two Cardinals de Lorraine and the two "Balafrès," the two Princes de Condé, Queen Jeanne d'Albret, Henri IV, the Connétable de Montmorency, Calvin, the Colignys and Théodore de Bèze, she was forced to put forth the rarest fine qualities, the most essential gifts of statesmanship, under the fire of the Calvinist press."

-Honoré De Balzac

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de facti

de fac·to