| rigorously binding or exacting; strict; severe: |
| the aggregate of manufacturing or technically productive enterprises in a particular field, often named after its principal product |
dictum (ˈdɪktəm) ![]() | |
| —n , pl -tums, -ta | |
| 1. | a formal or authoritative statement or assertion; pronouncement |
| 2. | a popular saying or maxim |
| 3. | law See obiter dictum |
| [C16: from Latin, from dīcere to say] | |