diriment
Definition
- Adjective (chiefly legal or ecclesiastical):
- Nullifying: "diriment" describes something that invalidates or renders void, especially in the context of marriage law. It refers to an impediment that makes a marriage legally or sacramentally null from the beginning.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- The court recognized a diriment impediment in the marriage contract. (A legal barrier that made the marriage invalid.)
- Canon law outlines several diriment obstacles that prevent a valid union. (Ecclesiastical rules that nullify a marriage from its start.)
Advanced Usage
- "Diriment impediment": a specific legal or canonical barrier that automatically makes a marriage void without requiring a formal annulment.
- Consanguinity is a diriment impediment in many legal systems. (Being too closely related by blood nullifies the marriage.)
Variants and Related Words
- Diriment (adj) is the only standard form; no common derived words exist in modern English.
- Dirim (rare verb, archaic): to separate or break up; related to the Latin root (to separate, to dissolve).
- The judge sought to dirim the disputed contract. (To dissolve or nullify it.)
Synonyms
- Nullifying: causing something to have no legal effect.
- Voiding: making something legally invalid.
- Annulling: declaring a marriage or contract invalid from the start.
Related Idioms
- No common idioms include "diriment"; it is a formal, technical term used almost exclusively in legal or religious contexts.
- "Null and void": a related phrase meaning having no legal force.
- The marriage was declared null and void due to a diriment impediment. (Completely invalid.)