Etymologically
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juge

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 14:01. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʒyʒ/[1]

Forms

juge m (plural juges)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin iūdex (“judge, arbiter”), through its accusative;[2][3][4][5] its sound development followed that of the verb juger.[2][6][7] The Latin word is formed from iūs (“law, right”) and dīcō (“to say, show”): properly “the one who shows the law by speaking”.[3][4] Rey, after Benveniste, sees in it the old Indo-European tie between “law” and “saying”.[3]

Cognate with Romanian jude, Italian giudice, Old Occitan jutge, Spanish juez and Portuguese juiz.[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Livre des Rois (about 1170) uses it for one who settles a dispute, and also for the political and religious leaders of the Hebrews before the kings, as in the Book of Judges.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The legal sense “magistrate who applies the law” is recorded from 1174, in Guernes de Pont-Sainte-Maxence.[2][3] Jean de Meun (1269–1278) uses it for anyone called on to give an opinion, and, from 1564 juge de means “competent to judge”.[2] God is vray juge in 1356, and about 1510 a juge was the umpire of a combat.[2] Beaumanoir already says that no one should be juges et partie in his own case, the king excepted.[8]

The growing specialization of judges is reflected in compounds: juge de paix (1688, Miège, for England; adopted in France in 1790), juge-commissaire (1806) and juge d'instruction (1810).[9][6] Rey gives an earlier date, 1660, for juge de paix,[3] which in underworld slang meant what settles a quarrel: a cudgel (1800), later a pistol.[3] The Swiss equivalent of a juge d'instruction is a juge informateur.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1170 – An arbiter, and the Judges of Israel, in the Livre des Rois.[2]
  • 1174 – A magistrate, in Guernes de Pont-Sainte-Maxence.[2]
  • 1269–1278 – One who gives an opinion, in the Roman de la Rose.[2]
  • 1356 – Vray juge, of God.[2]
  • c. 1510 – The umpire of a combat.[2]
  • 1688 – Juge de paix, of England (Miège).[2][9]
  • 1790 – Juge de paix adopted in France.[6][9]
  • 1810 – Juge d'instruction in the Penal Code.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (law) A judge, a magistrate who applies the law and dispenses justice, juge d'instruction, an examining magistrate, juge de paix, a justice of the peace.[10][9][1]
  2. A person called on to settle a dispute, an arbiter; in sport, a judge or referee: juge de ligne, juge de touche.[2][1]
  3. A person who gives an opinion, who is competent to judge: être bon juge, être juge et partie, to judge one's own case.[2][8]
  4. (Bible) One of the Judges, the leaders of Israel before the kings.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 5, 55a
  6. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  8. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  10. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert