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Definition of prima facie - 6 dictionary results
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pri⋅ma fa⋅ci⋅e

  [prahy-muh fey-shee-ee, fey-shee, fey-shuh, pree-]
Use prima facie in a Sentence
–noun
1. at first appearance; at first view, before investigation.
2. plain or clear; self-evident; obvious.
Origin:
1425–75; late ME < L prīmā faciē
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pri·ma fa·cie   (prī'mə fā'shē -shə, -shē-ē)   
adv.  At first sight; before closer inspection: They had, prima facie, a legitimate complaint.
adj.  
  1. True, authentic, or adequate at first sight; ostensible: prima facie credibility.
  2. Evident without proof or reasoning; obvious: a prima facie violation of the treaty.

[Middle English, manifestly, from Latin prīmā faciē : prīmā, feminine ablative of prīmus, first + faciē, ablative of faciēs, shape, face.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Prima facie

Pri"ma fa"ci*e\ [L., from abl. of primus first + abl. of facies appearance.] At first view; on the first appearance.

Prima facie evidence (of a fact) (Law), evidence which is sufficient to establish the fact unless rebutted. --Bouvier.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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prima facie 
c.1420, from L., lit. "at first sight," ablative of prima facies "first appearance," from prima, fem. sing. of primus "first" + facies "form, face."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: pri·ma fa·cie
Pronunciation: 'prI-m&-'fA-sh&, -sE, -shE
Function: adverb
Etymology: Latin
: at first view : on first appearance absent other information or evidence prima facie accredit new entrance examinations as nondiscriminatory —S. L. Lynch> —compare EX FACIE

Main Entry: prima facie
Function: adjective
: sufficient to establish a fact or case unless disproved <prima facie proof> prima facie showing>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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