nisi prius

Meaning

Noun

  • In the 19th century, those legal actions tried before judges of the King's Bench Division, and in the early 20th century those actions tried at assize by a judge given a commission.

Origin

  • Latin nisi prius ("unless previously"), from the first two words of the old Latin writ summoning the juries to appear at Westminster unless, before the day appointed, the judges had come to the county.

Modern English dictionary

Explore and search massive catalog of over 900,000 word meanings.

Word of the Day

Get a curated memorable word every day.

Challenge yourself

Level up your vocabulary by setting personal goals.

And much more

Try out Vedaist now.