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tribunal

 - 4 dictionary results

tri⋅bu⋅nal

[trahy-byoon-l, tri-]
–noun
1. a court of justice.
2. a place or seat of judgment.
3. Also called tribune. a raised platform for the seats of magistrates, as in an ancient Roman basilica.

Origin:
1520–30; < L tribūnal, tribūnāle judgment seat, equiv. to tribūn(us) tribune 1 + -āl(e) -al 2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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tri·bu·nal   (trī-byōō'nəl, trĭ-)   
n.  
  1. Law

    1. A seat or court of justice.

    2. The bench on which a judge or other presiding officer sits in court.

  2. A committee or board appointed to adjudicate in a particular matter.

  3. Something that has the power to determine or judge: the tribunal of public opinion.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin tribūnal, judge's platform, from tribūnus, tribune; see tribune1.]
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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Word Origin & History

tribunal 
1447, from O.Fr. tribunal (13c.), from L. tribunal "platform for the seat of magistrates, elevation, embankment," from tribunus "official in ancient Rome, magistrate," lit. "head of a tribe," from tribus (see tribe). Hence, a court of justice or judicial assembly (1590).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: tri·bu·nal
Pronunciation: trI-'byün-&l, tri-
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, platform for magistrates, from tribunus tribune, from tribus tribe
1 : the seat of a judge or one acting as a judge
2 : a court or forum of justice : a person or body of persons having to hear and decide disputes so as to bind the parties
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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