decree

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French decré (French décret), from Latin dēcrētum.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /dɪˈkɹiː/

Noun

decree (plural decrees)

  1. An edict or law.
    • Bible, Luke ii. 1
      There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
    • Shakespeare
      Poor hand, why quiverest thou at this decree?
  2. (law) The judicial decision in a litigated cause rendered by a court of equity.
  3. (law) The determination of a cause in a court of admiralty or court of probate.

Usage notes

  • (Can we clean up(+) this sense?) It is accurate to use the word judgment for a decision of a court of law, and decree from a court of equity, although the former term now includes both.

Derived terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Verb

decree (third-person singular simple present decrees, present participle decreeing, simple past and past participle decreed)

  1. To command by a decree.
    A court decrees a restoration of property.
    • Bible, Job xxii. 28
      Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee.

Translations

Anagrams

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.