dictum
gb/dˈɪktəm/ us/dˈɪktəm/
C2
English
maxima, kinyilatkoztatás, obiter dictum, bírói mellékmegjegyzés
NOUN
C2
FORMAL
1
maxima
C1
Usage pattern:
the dictum that [clause]; [someone]'s dictum; the old/famous dictum
She often quotes the old dictum that less is more.
Gyakran idézi a régi maximát, hogy a kevesebb több.
The project followed the designer's famous dictum: form follows function.
A projekt a tervező híres maximáját követte: a forma a funkciót követi.
His teaching was shaped by a simple dictum: listen before you speak.
Learner examples
My teacher likes the dictum “practice makes perfect.”
A tanárom szereti a „gyakorlat teszi a mestert” mondást.
The team followed one dictum: keep it simple.
A csapat egyetlen elvet követett: legyen egyszerű.
Common mistake:
Do not use it for an ordinary sentence or comment; dictum usually sounds formal and refers to a principle or rule.
Meaning
concise guiding saying
Collocations
famous dictum
|old dictum
|well-known dictum
|guiding dictum
|central dictum
|dictum that
|follow a dictum
|quote a dictum
Synonyms
maxim (a short rule for behavior or thought)
|
adage (an old saying generally accepted as true)
|
aphorism (a brief, clever statement of a truth)
|
saying (more common and less formal)
Themes
language
|ideas
|advice
Definition
A formal word for a short saying that gives a general rule or principle.
A short, memorable statement that expresses a general truth, principle, or rule to follow.
NOUN
C2
FORMAL
2
Usage pattern:
a dictum from [someone]; issue/deliver a dictum; a dictum on/about [something]
The CEO's dictum that all teams must return to the office was unpopular.
Népszerűtlen volt a vezérigazgató kinyilatkoztatása, hogy minden csapatnak vissza kell térnie az irodába.
In that era, medical advice was often handed down as dictum rather than debated openly.
Abban a korszakban az orvosi tanácsokat gyakran inkább kinyilatkoztatásként adták tovább, semmint nyíltan megvitatták volna.
The committee issued a dictum on what counted as acceptable evidence.
Learner examples
The manager's dictum became the rule for everyone.
A vezető kinyilatkoztatása mindenkire nézve szabállyá vált.
They did not like the new dictum from head office.
Nem tetszett nekik a központ új kinyilatkoztatása.
Common mistake:
It can sound critical or old-fashioned; for everyday English, use rule, order, statement, or decision.
Meaning
authoritative formal pronouncement
Collocations
authoritative dictum
|official dictum
|policy dictum
|government dictum
|dictum from above
|issue a dictum
|deliver a dictum
|lay down a dictum
Synonyms
pronouncement (a formal public statement)
|
edict (a stronger official order)
|
decree (an official decision with legal or institutional force)
|
directive (an instruction from an authority)
Antonyms
suggestion (an idea offered without authority or force)
|
request (asks rather than commands)
Themes
authority
|organizations
|rules
Definition
A formal statement or rule from someone who has authority.
A formal statement of an opinion, rule, or decision that is presented as authoritative.
NOUN
C2
LEGAL
3
Usage pattern:
dictum in [a case/opinion]; the court's dictum; dicta; distinguish [the holding] from [dictum]
The lawyer argued that the sentence everyone quoted was dictum, not the holding of the case.
Az ügyvéd azzal érvelt, hogy a mindenki által idézett mondat csak obiter dictum volt, nem pedig az ügy eldöntésének alapja.
Later courts treated the judge's dictum as persuasive but not binding.
A későbbi bíróságok a bírói mellékmegjegyzést meggyőző erejűnek, de nem kötelezőnek tekintették.
The opinion contains broad dicta on privacy, but the actual ruling is narrow.
Learner examples
The court's dictum was not binding on later cases.
A bíróság bírói mellékmegjegyzése nem volt kötelező a későbbi ügyekre nézve.
The judge's comment was only dictum.
A bíró megjegyzése csak obiter dictum volt.
Common mistake:
Do not confuse dictum with the holding of a case; in legal writing, the plural is often dicta.
Meaning
statement in judicial opinion
Collocations
judicial dictum
|legal dictum
|court's dictum
|mere dictum
|persuasive dictum
|nonbinding dictum
|broad dicta
|holding and dictum
Synonyms
judicial comment (clearer and less technical)
|
observation (a more general word for a judge's remark)
|
obiter dictum (specifically a remark made in passing and not essential to the decision)
Antonyms
holding (the binding legal decision of a case)
|
ratio decidendi (the legal reason for the decision, especially in common-law analysis)
Themes
law
|courts
|legal_reasoning
Definition
A judge's comment in a legal decision that may not be binding law.
In law, a statement in a judge's opinion about a legal issue, especially one that is not necessary to the decision and may not be binding as precedent.
Grammar
Dictionary form
dictum
IPA
GB/dˈɪktəm/
US/dˈɪktəm/
Syllables & stress
dictum (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (dictum)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: dictum
- Plural: dicta, dictums
Expressions
obiter dictum
1/ˈoʊbɪtɚ dˈɪktəm/
fixed phrase
legal
incidental judicial remark
A judge's extra comment in a legal decision that is not part of the binding rule.
Examples
- The passage was only an obiter dictum, so the later court was not required to follow it.
- The judge's comments on free speech were influential, even though they were obiter dicta.
- Students must learn to separate the holding of a case from obiter dictum.
Learner examples
- The lawyer said the comment was an obiter dictum.
- Obiter dicta are not binding rules.