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Glite Dictionary
nihil obstat

nihil obstat

9.9
An official statement from the Catholic Church that a book has no errors in faith or morals
  • noun
  • /ˈnaɪhɪl ˈɑbstæt/
  • Jargon
translation icon : nihil obstat
  • Any publication must obtain a nihil obstat to confirm it contains no mistakes regarding faith and morals.
  • nihil obstat from the congregation

Examples

  • Ultimately, any book that lacks the nihil obstat and imprimatur cannot be considered definitive or free from error.

    Blog text (31)

  • Nihil obstat.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • The publisher received a nihil obstat from the church, allowing the book to be printed.

  • Before releasing the new edition, the author ensured it had the necessary nihil obstat from the Roman authorities.

Surface Forms

nihil obstat singular
nihil obstats plural

Morphology

nihil + obstat

Literally from Latin 'nihil' (nothing) + 'obstat' (stands in the way), a learner who knows the constituents could infer a general sense of 'nothing stands in the way' or 'no objection'. However, the phrase is a fixed ecclesiastical formula with a specific institutional meaning ('official clearance that nothing is objectionable'), and its Latin/formal status makes the precise approved-publication sense not fully predictable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Nihil obstat comes from Latin: nihil means 'nothing' and obstat means 'stands in the way', so the phrase literally says 'nothing stands in the way'. That's why in the Church it is used as an official note meaning 'there is nothing in the text against faith or morals', allowing the work to be published.