precedent

English

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• præcedent (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French, from Latin praecēdēns, present participle of praecēdere (“to precede”); See precede.

Pronunciation

• (UK, adjective) IPA: /pɹiˈsiː.dənt/, SAMPA: /pr\i"si:.d@nt/
• (UK, US, noun) enPR: prĕs'ĭ-dənt, IPA: /ˈpɹɛs.ɪ.dənt/, SAMPA: /"pr\Es.I.d@nt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

precedent (plural precedents)

1. An act in the past which may be used as an example to help decide the outcome of similar instances in the future.
2. (law) A decided case which is cited or used as an example to justify a judgment in a subsequent case.
3. (obsolete, with definite article) The aforementioned (thing).
   • 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, New York 2001, p. 74:

     A third argument may be derived from the precedent.

4. The previous version.

Derived terms

terms derived from precedent (noun)

binding precedent declaratory precedent original precedent persuasive precedent precedented

precedential precedent-setting precedent sub silentio unprecedented

Translations

past act used as example

Arabic: سابقة (ar) Chinese: Mandarin: 實例 (zh), 实例 (zh) (shílì), 範例 (zh), 范例 (zh) (fànlì), 事例 (zh) (shìlì) Finnish: ennakkotapaus (fi) French: précédent (fr) German: Präzedens (de) n. Greek: προηγούμενο (el) (prοigoúmeno) n.

Hungarian: precedens (hu) Italian: precedente (it) m. Japanese: 先例 (ja) (senrei) Korean: 사례 (ko) (sarye) Macedonian: преседан (mk) (presedán) m. Polish: precedens (pl) m. Romanian: precedent (ro) Russian: прецедент (ru) (pr'eced'ént) m. Spanish: precedente (es) m.

prior judgment in law

Chinese: Mandarin: 判例 (zh) (pànlì) Finnish: ennakkotapaus (fi) French: jurisprudence (fr) German: Präzedenzfall (de) m. Greek: δεδικασμένο (el) (dedikasméno) n. Hungarian: precedens (hu)

Italian: precedente (it) m. Japanese: 判例 (ja) (hanrei) Korean: 판례 (pallye) (law only) Macedonian: преседан (mk) (presedán) m. Polish: precedens (pl) m. Russian: прецедент (ru) (pr'eced'ént) m. Spanish: precedente (es) m.

Adjective

precedent (not comparable)

1. Happening or taking place earlier in time; previous or preceding.

Translations

earlier in time

French: précédent (fr) Greek: προηγούμενος (el) (prοigoúmenos) Italian: precedente (it)

Macedonian: претходен (mk) (préthoden) m. Russian: предшествующий (ru) (pr'edšéstvujuš'ij), предыдущий (ru) (pr'edydúš'ij)

Verb

precedent (third-person singular simple present precedents, present participle precedenting, simple past and past participle precedented)

1. (transitive, law) To provide precedents for.
2. (transitive, law) To be a precedent for.

See also

• stare decisis