de facto

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Adjective 1.2.1 Antonyms 1.3 Adverb 1.4 Noun

[edit] English

Wikipedia

[edit] Etymology

A Latin expression that means "in fact" or "in practice" or "in reality"

[edit] Adjective

de facto

1. Actual.
2. Virtual, being such in effect or essence (rather than literally in fact) though not formally or wholly taken for granted, as opposed to de jure.
3. (politics, military) Of a political or military leader, exercising power without being legally established.

   • Although the United States currently has no official language, it is largely monolingual with English being the de facto national language.

4. (computing) Of hardware or software, being widely used, but not conforming to a standard.

[edit] Antonyms

• de jure

[edit] Adverb

de facto

1. in reality

[edit] Noun

de facto

1. (Australian) A legally undeclared spouse. Usually spelled defacto.