dictum

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin dictum (“a thing said; a saying, order, precept”),^[2][3][4][5] the noun use of the neuter of dictus, past participle of dīcō (“to say, speak”),^[2][3][6][7] from Proto-Indo-European *deik- (“to show, also to pronounce solemnly”).^[3][5] In post-classical Latin the noun was also a legal term for a plea, decision or award, from the 12th century in British sources.^[2] It replaced an earlier English borrowing of the same Latin noun, dicte, recorded probably before 1400.^[8][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

An authoritative pronouncement, or more generally something said: about 1586, in J. Stewart's poems.^[2][6] The OED's revised entry of 2010 is well ahead of other datings: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate gives 1599,^[9] Barnhart "edict" in 1670, in Blount's Law Dictionary, and "formal statement" in 1706,^[8] Etymonline the 1660s^[3] and Dictionary.com 1660–70.^[10]

Semantic evolution

The Latin noun already ranged from a witty remark to a command,^[3][2] and the English word has kept both an authoritative and an everyday side: a pronouncement attributed to a particular person, but also a generally accepted saying or adage, recorded from 1616.^[2] Logicians used it from 1599 for the statement that forms the subject of a modal proposition.^[2] The legal use, for a judge's opinion that is not essential to the decision and so does not bind as a precedent, is recorded before 1754,^[2][11] and dictionaries refer it to obiter dictum.^[5][12] Etymonline observes that a dictum is often a mere saying with implied authority,^[3] and Merriam-Webster includes opinions uttered as though they were authoritative.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 1586 – an authoritative pronouncement.^[2][6]
• 1599 – in logic, the subject of a modal proposition.^[2]
• 1616 – a generally accepted saying, an adage.^[2]
• before 1754 – in law, a judge's opinion not essential to the decision.^[2]
• 1762 – in English history, the settlement of 1266 setting terms for the supporters of Simon de Montfort.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. An authoritative, often formal pronouncement: The chairman's dictum on spending went unchallenged.^[5][6][12]
2. A popular saying; a maxim or adage.^[12][2][11]
3. (law) A judge's expression of opinion that is not needed for the decision and so does not set a precedent; an obiter dictum.^[5][2][11]
4. (logic, rare) The statement forming the subject of a modal proposition.^[2]

Word family

• obiter dictum

Related words

• diction
• dictate
• index
• ditto

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
6. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
8. ^ a b Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
9. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
10. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
11. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
12. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins