What does dictum mean?

Definitions for dictum
ˈdɪk təmdic·tum

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word dictum.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. pronouncement, dictum, say-sonoun

    an authoritative declaration

  2. obiter dictum, dictumnoun

    an opinion voiced by a judge on a point of law not directly bearing on the case in question and therefore not binding

Wiktionary

  1. dictumnoun

    An authoritative statement; a dogmatic saying; a maxim, an apothegm.

  2. dictumnoun

    A judicial opinion expressed by judges on points that do not necessarily arise in the case, and are not involved in it.

  3. dictumnoun

    The report of a judgment made by one of the judges who has given it.

  4. dictumnoun

    An arbitrament or award.

  5. Etymology: From dictum.

Wikipedia

  1. Dictum

    In legal writing, a dictum (Latin 'something that has been said'; plural dicta) is a statement made by a court. It may or may not be binding as a precedent.

ChatGPT

  1. dictum

    A dictum is a formal pronouncement, statement, or remark that expresses an authoritative opinion, principle, or truth. It often refers to a judgment or statement made by a judge in a legal case that goes beyond the issues at hand and may not be legally binding.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Dictumnoun

    an authoritative statement; a dogmatic saying; an apothegm

  2. Dictumnoun

    a judicial opinion expressed by judges on points that do not necessarily arise in the case, and are not involved in it

  3. Dictumnoun

    the report of a judgment made by one of the judges who has given it

  4. Dictumnoun

    an arbitrament or award

  5. Etymology: [L., neuter of dictus, p. p. of dicere to say. See Diction, and cf. Ditto.]

Wikidata

  1. Dictum

    In United States legal terminology, a dictum is a statement of opinion or belief considered authoritative though not binding, because of the authority of the person making it. There are multiple subtypes of dicta, although due to their overlapping nature, legal practitioners in the U.S. colloquially use dicta to refer to any statement by a court that extends beyond the issue before the court. Dicta in this sense are not binding under the principle of stare decisis, but tend to have a strong persuasive effect, either by being in an authoritative decision, stated by an authoritative judge, or both. These subtypes include: ⁕dictum proprium: A personal or individual dictum that is given by the judge who delivers an opinion but that is not necessarily concurred in by the whole court and is not essential to the disposition. ⁕gratis dictum: an assertion that a person makes without being obligated to do so, or also a court's discussion of points or questions not raised by the record or its suggestion of rules not applicable in the case at bar. ⁕judicial dictum: an opinion by a court on a question that is directly involved, briefed, and argued by counsel, and even passed on by the court, but that is not essential to the decision.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Dictum

    dik′tum, n. something said: a saying: an authoritative saying:—pl. Dic′ta. [L.]

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of dictum in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of dictum in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of dictum in a Sentence

  1. John Stuart Mill:

    Indeed the dictum that truth always triumphs over persecution, is one of those pleasant falsehoods which men repeat after one another till they pass into common places, but which all experience refutes.

  2. Nadine Gordimer:

    Art is on the side of the oppressed. Think before you shudder at the simplistic dictum and its heretical definition of the freedom of art. For if art is freedom of the spirit, how can it exist within the oppressors?

  3. Marcus Aurelius:

    [Treat] unenlightened souls with sympathy and indulgence, remembering that they are ignorant or mistaken about what’s most important. Never be harsh, remember Plato’s dictum: ‘Every soul is deprived of the truth against its will.’

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Translations for dictum

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"dictum." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/dictum>.

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