jury

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /ˈdʒʊə.ri/, US /ˈdʒʊr.i/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English jure, jurie, borrowed from Anglo-Norman juree (“oath, inquest”),^[2][3][4] from Medieval Latin iūrāta (“an oath, a judicial inquest, a sworn body of men”),^[2][5] the feminine past participle of Latin iūrāre “to swear”,^[2][5] from iūs “law, oath”.^[2][3] It is related to juror, perjury, jurist and just.^[6][2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A body of persons sworn to give a verdict on a case: in Latin texts written in England from 1188,^[3][7] in English in the compound jury-book in 1398 and as jure before 1400 in Barnhart,^[3] the early 14th century in Etymonline.^[2] Early juries swore to answer truly about events they knew of themselves.^[6]

Semantic evolution

The grand jury, named for its large number of members, is recorded in Anglo-French in the early 15th century and in English from 1433,^[2][7] and the petty jury from 1495.^[7] Juryman is from the 1570s and jury-box from 1729.^[2] A panel chosen to award prizes at an exhibition is from 1851,^[2] and the jury is still out, no decision has been made, by 1903.^[2]

Timeline

• 1188 – in Anglo-Latin texts.^[3][7]
• 1398 – jury-book.^[3]
• 1433 – grand jury.^[7]
• 1495 – petty jury.^[7]
• 1851 – a panel judging a competition.^[2]
• 1903 – the jury is still out.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A group of people chosen to hear the evidence in a trial and decide whether someone is guilty.
2. A group of experts who judge a competition.

Verb

1. To judge by a jury.

Word family

• juryless
• juryman
• jurywoman
• nonjury
• jury-rig
• grand jury
• jury nullification
• petit jury

Related words

• juror
• perjury
• jurist
• just
• jurisdiction

Usage notes

A different jury, a nautical adjective meaning “makeshift”, as in jury-mast (1616) and jury-rigged, is a sailors' word of uncertain origin,^[2][3][4] perhaps from Old French ajurie “help”, from Latin adjūtāre, the source of aid.^[2][3] Jury-leg, a wooden leg, is from 1751.^[2]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press