Etymologically
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jury

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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
  • 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