| Part of Speech | Definition | |
| Noun Plural | 1. Plural inflection of the noun dictum.[Eve - graph theoretic] | |
| Noun Base (dictum) | 1. An authoritative declaration.[Wordnet]. 2. An opinion voiced by a judge on a point of law not directly bearing on the case in question and therefore not binding.[Wordnet]. 3. An authoritative statement; a dogmatic saying; an apothegm.[Websters]. 4. A judicial opinion expressed by judges on points that do not necessarily arise in the case, and are not involved in it.[Websters]. 5. The report of a judgment made by one of the judges who has given it.[Websters]. 6. An arbitrament or award.[Websters]. | |
Sources: compiled from various sources, (under license) copyright 2008. | Top | |
Date "DICTUMS" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1869. (references) |
Specialty Definition: dictum
| Domain | Definition | ||
| Environment | A remark by the way. Generally, the word “dictum” is used as an abbreviated form of “Obiter dictum.” See OBITER DICTUM. (references) | ||
| Law | DICTUM, practice. 1. Dicta are judicial opinions expressed by the judges on points that do not necessarily arise in the case. 2. Dicta are regarded as of little authority, on account of the manner in which they are delivered; it frequently happening that they are given without much reflection, at the bar, without previous examination. "If," says Huston, J., in Frants v. Brown, 17 Serg. & Rawle, 292, "general dicta in cases turning on special circumstances are to be considered as establishing the law, nothing is yet settled, or can be long settled." "What I have said or written, out of the case trying," continues the learned judge, "or shall say or write, under such circumstances, maybe taken as my opinion at the time, without argument or full consideration; but I will never consider myself bound by it when the point is fairly trying and fully argued and considered. And I protest against any person considering such obiter dicta as my deliberate opinion." And it was considered by another learned judge. Mr. Baron Richards, to be a "great misfortune that dicta are taken down from judges, perhaps incorrectly, and then cited as absolute propositions." 1 Phillim. Rep. 1406; S. C. 1 Eng. Ecc. R. 129; Ram. on Judgm. ch. 5, p. 36; Willes' Rep. 666; 1 H. Bl. 53-63; 2 Bos. & P. 375; 7 T. R. 287; 3 B. & A. 341; 2 Bing. 90. The doctrine of the courts of France on this subject is stated in 11 Toull. 177, n. 133. 3. In the French law, the report of a judgment made by one of the judges who has given it, is called the dictum. Poth. Proc. Civ. partie 1, c. 5, art. 2. (references) | ||
| Wikipedic | In common law legal terminology a dictum (plural dicta) is any statement that forms a part of the judgment of a court, in particular a court whose decisions have value as precedent under the doctrine of stare decisis. (references) | ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | Top | ||
Common Expressions: dictum
| Expressions | Definition | ||
| Dunninger's dictum | For those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not, none will suffice. (references) | ||
| Obiter dictum | 1: (Law), an incidental and collateral opinion uttered by a judge. Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. | ||
| 2: An opinion voiced by a judge on a point of law not directly bearing on the case in question and therefore not binding. Source: Wordnet 3.0 Copyright © 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. | |||
| 3: An incidental remark. Source: Wordnet 3.0 Copyright © 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. | |||
| Obiter dictum | Literally a statement said "by the way", an obiter dictum (plural obiter dicta, ofter referred simply as obiter), is a remark or observation made by a judge while issuing a ruling that does not form a necessary part of their decision. Because obiter dicta are not the subject of the decision, they are not binding under the doctrine of stare decisis, although in some jurisdictions, such as England and Wales, they can be strongly persuasive. (references) | ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | Top | ||
Specialty Expressions: dictum
| Expressions | Domain | Definition | |
| Gratis dictum | Law | GRATIS DICTUM. Assaying not required; a statement voluntarily made without necessity. (references) | |
| Obiter dictum | Environment | Also called dictum. That which is said in passing. Where the court, in rationalizing its position, uses language broader than is needed for disposition of the point at issue. If the courts statement is merely illustrative or background material not required in the determination of the issues presented, it is within the category of obiter dictum. Dictum lacks the force of an adjudication and does not fall within the doctrine of stare decisis. See STARE DECISIS and ADJUDICATION. (references) | |
| Obiter dictum | Literature | (Latin). An incidental remark, an opinion expressed by a judge, but not judiciously. An obiter dictum has no authority beyond that of deference to the wisdom, experience, and honesty of the person who utters it; but a judicial sentence is the verdict of a judge bound under oath to pronounce judgment only according to law and evidence. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | Top | ||
Abbreviations & Acronyms: dictum
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | ||||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field | |
| DICTUM | English | Development of an Interactive Communication Training system Using Multimedia | N/A | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | Top | |||
Topics by Level of Interest: dictum | ||||
| Topics sorted by level of Interest | Level (1=low, 600=high) | Topics sorted Alphabetically | Level (1=low, 600=high) | |
| Hickam's dictum | 6 | Dictum | 3 | |
| Obiter dictum | 4 | Dictum of Kenilworth | 2 | |
| Dictum | 3 | Hickam's dictum | 6 | |
| Dictum of Kenilworth | 2 | Obiter dictum | 4 | |
Source: the editor, created by/for EVE to gauge likely levels of human interest in linguistically triggered topics (compiled across various sources, such as Wikipedia and specialty expression glosses). | ||||
