Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
👨‍⚖️ A chief judge ⚖️ Legal authority
justiciary

justiciary

1 9.9
The area and legal power of a senior medieval judge
  • noun
  • /dʒʌsˈtɪʃəri/
  • Archaic
: jurisdicción
  • During the Middle Ages, Scotland was divided into northern and southern justiciaries.

Examples

  • Few records remain of the extent of his justiciary and its functioning.

  • The justiciary played a central role in the administration of medieval law.

  • The justiciary in medieval Scotland had significant power.

  • A justiciary was responsible for maintaining law and order.

  • In medieval Scotland, the justiciary was essential for enforcing the king's laws.

  • The justiciary had the authority to adjudicate legal disputes during the feudal period.

  • As a high-ranking official, the justiciary oversaw the administration of justice in the region.

Synonyms

judicatory
vsjusticiary
  • Formal
1 9.9

A group of courts that make legal decisions

is the personal authority of a historical judicial officer rather than a court system

Surface Forms

justiciary singular
justiciaries plural

Morphology

justiciary = justiciar (semi-transparent) = justiciar + y

Derived from the office-holder term 'justiciar' to denote the authority or jurisdiction associated with that office; relation is historically direct but specialized.

Etymology

Justiciary comes from the same root as justice and just, which mean 'fair' or 'right'. It can also mean the 'power' or area where justice was done, so it describes the authority a judge held.