general verdict
- noun
- /ˈdʒɛnərəl ˈvɜrdɪkt/
- Formal
:
veredicto general
- Guests were overheard commenting to one another upon the festivities, in tones of fulsome praise: "The most brilliant social event of the Bloodsmoor season," was the general verdict; and I cannot but concur in their judgment.
Examples
-
After hours of discussions, the panel reached a general verdict that resolved the case without further details.
-
The jury delivered a general verdict, ruling in favor of the plaintiff after a long deliberation.
-
In the trial, the judge accepted the general verdict from the jury, declaring the defendant not guilty.
Antonyms
- Jargon
A jury statement about specific facts that the judge uses to decide the case
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is directly compositional: 'general' meaning overall/broad and 'verdict' meaning the jury's decision, so a 'general verdict' naturally reads as an overall decision without special findings. This is a standard modifier+noun construction found across languages and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words, even if some legal nuance remains unfamiliar.
Etymology
General verdict comes from legal language: general means 'overall' and verdict is the jury's decision. Picture a jury giving one simple answer about who wins, without listing detailed facts, and that's why general verdict means a decision that only says who wins.
