About The Word Precedent

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Precedent

Precedent Meaning & Definition
Precedent Definition And Meaning

What's The Definition Of Precedent?

[n] an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time
[n] (civil law) a law established by following earlier judicial decisions
[n] a subject mentioned earlier (preceding in time)
[n] a system of jurisprudence based on judicial precedents rather than statutory laws; "common law originated in the the unwritten laws of England and was later applied in the United States"
[adj] preceding in time, order, or significance

Synonyms | Synonyms for Precedent: case in point | case law | case law | common law | common law | preceding(a)

Related Terms | Find terms related to Precedent: action | ancestor | announcer | antecedent | anterior | antetype | antitype | archetype | avant-garde | award | bellwether | biotype | buccinator | bushwhacker | classic example | condemnation | consideration | criterion | decision | decree | deliverance | determination | diagnosis | dictum | doom | epitome | example | exemplar | explorer | finding | forebear | foregoer | foregoing | forerunner | former | front runner | frontiersman | fugleman | fugler | genotype | groundbreaker | guide | harbinger | herald | imitatee | innovator | lead | lead runner | leader | messenger | mirror | model | order | original | paradigm | past | pathfinder | pattern | pioneer | point | precursor | predecessor | premise | previous | prior | prognosis | pronouncement | prototype | representative | resolution | rule | ruling | scout | sentence | standard | stormy petrel | trailblazer | trailbreaker | type | type species | type specimen | urtext | vanguard | vaunt-courier | verdict | voortrekker | yardstick

See Also | civil law | example | illustration | instance | jurisprudence | law | representative | subject | theme | topic

Precedent In Webster's Dictionary

\Pre*ced"ent\, a. [L. praecedens, -entis, p. pr. of praecedere: cf. F. pr['e]c['e]dent. See {Precede}.] Going before; anterior; preceding; antecedent; as, precedent services. --Shak. ``A precedent injury.'' --Bacon. {Condition precedent} (Law), a condition which precede the vesting of an estate, or the accruing of a right.
\Prec"e*dent\, n. 1. Something done or said that may serve as an example to authorize a subsequent act of the same kind; an authoritative example. Examples for cases can but direct as precedents only. --Hooker. 2. A preceding circumstance or condition; an antecedent; hence, a prognostic; a token; a sign. [Obs.] 3. A rough draught of a writing which precedes a finished copy. [Obs.] --Shak. 4. (Law) A judicial decision which serves as a rule for future determinations in similar or analogous cases; an authority to be followed in courts of justice; forms of proceeding to be followed in similar cases. --Wharton. Syn: Example; antecedent. Usage: {Precedent}, {Example}. An example in a similar case which may serve as a rule or guide, but has no authority out of itself. A precedent is something which comes down to us from the past with the sanction of usage and of common consent. We quote examples in literature, and precedents in law.

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