Definition

1. Noun:
   • An authoritative declaration or pronouncement: A formal statement expressing a principle, truth, or opinion with authority.
   • A judge's remark: In legal contexts, an opinion voiced by a judge concerning a point of law that is not essential to the court's decision and therefore not legally binding as precedent.

Examples of Usage

• General authoritative statement:
  • The CEO's dictum that "quality is paramount" guided the company's policies.
  • She lived by the old dictum, "Honesty is the best policy."
• Legal context:
  • The judge's comments were merely an obiter dictum and did not affect the final ruling.
  • While not binding, the dictum in the ruling was widely discussed by legal scholars.

Advanced Usage

• Obiter dictum (plural: obiter dicta): A Latin term used in law for a judge's incidental remark or observation on a point not central to the case. It is often contrasted with , the binding part of a judgment.
  • The lawyer argued that the precedent was based on an obiter dictum and should not be followed.

Variants and Related Words

• Dicta: The plural form of , often used, especially in legal writing.
  • The text is filled with the wise dicta of ancient philosophers.
• Dictate (verb): To state or order something authoritatively.
  • The rules dictate proper procedure.

Synonyms

• Pronouncement: A formal or authoritative announcement.
• Axiom: A statement or proposition regarded as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true.
• Maxim: A short, pithy statement expressing a general truth or rule of conduct.
• Edict: An official order or proclamation issued by a person in authority.

Related Phrases

• As the dictum goes: Used to introduce a well-known saying or principle.
  • As the dictum goes, "Time is money."

Noun

1. an opinion voiced by a judge on a point of law not directly bearing on the case in question and therefore not binding
2. an authoritative declaration