dictum
Americannoun
plural
dicta, dictums-
an authoritative pronouncement; judicial assertion.
- Synonyms:
- declaration, order, fiat, decree, edict
-
a saying; maxim.
noun
-
a formal or authoritative statement or assertion; pronouncement
-
a popular saying or maxim
-
law See obiter dictum
Etymology
Origin of dictum
1660–70; < Latin: something said, a saying, command, word, noun use of neuter past participle of dīcere to say, speak; index
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The government held, and Hamilton got the economy running again using Bagehot’s dictum External link: “Lend freely, at a penalty rate, against good collateral.”
From Barron's
The government held, and Hamilton got the economy running again using Bagehot’s dictum External link: “Lend freely, at a penalty rate, against good collateral.”
From Barron's
Write what you know, goes the dictum, and according to Mr. Pearl “some of this happened.”
President Calvin Coolidge’s 1925 dictum—“the chief business of the American people is business”—had become a mantra.
If Sagan’s dictum were true, we would need extraordinary evidence to prove we exist.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
