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Glite Dictionary
nullum crimen sine lege

nullum crimen sine lege

9.9
An action is not a crime unless a law says it is
  • noun
  • /ˈnʌləm ˈkraɪmən saɪn ˈleɪɡeɪ/
  • Formal
translation icon : nullum crimen sine lege
  • The concept of nullum crimen sine lege is essential to ensuring that individuals are not prosecuted for acts that were not defined as illegal at the time they were committed.

Examples

  • In legal history, the doctrine of nullum crimen sine lege protects citizens from arbitrary punishment by requiring clear laws that outline prohibited conduct.

  • Judges often cite nullum crimen sine lege to emphasize that not every immoral act is a crime unless specified by legislation.

  • There is a principle of law involved, nullum crimen sine lege.

    Blog text (29)

Surface Forms

nullum crimen sine lege singular

Morphology

nullum + crimen + sine + lege

The phrase is a literal Latin composition (nullum = no/none, crimen = crime, sine = without, lege = law), so its meaning "no crime without law" follows directly from combining the constituents. Although the maxim is a specialized legal Latin formula that many B1 learners will not know, a learner who does know the individual words can transparently derive the intended legal principle.

Etymology

Nullum crimen sine lege literally says nullum 'no', crimen 'crime', sine lege 'without law'. Imagine a judge telling someone they cannot be punished for something not written in the law. That's why the phrase means 'an act is not a crime unless the law says it is'.