The legal precedent
Example: Legal precedent guides decisions based on past cases
Definition
"The legal precedent" refers to a previous court decision or ruling that serves as an authoritative example or rule for judges to follow in future similar cases, ensuring consistency and predictability in the application of the law.
Etymology
The term "legal precedent" combines 'legal,' derived from the Latin 'legalis,' meaning 'pertaining to the law,' and 'precedent,' from the Latin 'praecedere,' meaning 'to go before.' Together, they indicate a prior legal decision that 'goes before' and guides subsequent rulings. Did you know that the concept of precedent is fundamental to common law systems, originating in English courts centuries ago?
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"The legal precedent" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - Law - (A1-C2) - set 1", containing 125 commonly used words.
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