Today's Word "dictum"
An authoritative statement
on
Published in Vocabulary
dictum \DIK-tuhm\ (noun) - 1 : An authoritative statement; a formal pronouncement. 2: Law) A judicial opinion expressed by judges on points that do not necessarily arise in the case, and are not involved in it.
"Some vague sympathy evoked by the scent of the limes, some sisterly desire to see for herself, some idea of demonstrating the soundness of her dictum that there was 'nothing in it'; of merely the craving to drive down to Richmond, irresistible that summer, moved the mother of the little Darties (of little Publius, of Imogen, Maud, and Benedict) to write (a) not to her sister-in-law." -- John Galsworthy, 'The Man of Property'
Dictum is literally "a thing said," from the past participle of Latin dicere, "to say."
Comments