procès-verbal

The judge reviews the procès-verbal during the court session.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Official record: A "procès-verbal" is a formal written statement of facts or proceedings, especially in legal or administrative contexts. It functions as an official minute or report.
   • Legal document: In specific legal systems (e.g., French law), it refers to a written account of a court hearing, an investigation, or a violation, often used as evidence.

Usage Examples

• (An official record of the incident.)
• (A formal minute of the court proceedings.)

Advanced Usage

• "to draw up a procès-verbal": to create an official written report.

  • The inspector drew up a procès-verbal of the inspection findings. (He made a formal record.)

• "procès-verbal of a meeting": the minutes or official summary of a meeting.

  • The secretary prepared the procès-verbal of the board meeting. (The formal minutes.)

Variants and Related Words

• Procès-verbaux (n, plural): the plural form of procès-verbal.

  • All the procès-verbaux from the hearings were filed in the archive. (Multiple official records.)

• Verbal (adj): relating to words or speech; not directly related but shares the root "verbal" (from Latin verbum meaning word).

  • The verbal agreement was later recorded in a procès-verbal. (The spoken agreement was documented.)

Synonyms

• Minutes: the official written record of a meeting or proceeding.
• Report: a detailed account of an event or situation.
• Record: a written or official account of facts or events.

Related Idioms

• "to put something on the record": to officially document something.

  • The witness's testimony was put on the record in a procès-verbal. (It was formally recorded.)

• "to be a matter of record": to be officially documented and verifiable.

  • The procès-verbal made the confession a matter of record. (It became an official fact.)