obiter dictum
- noun
- /ˈoʊbɪtər ˈdɪktəm/
- Jargon
:
obiter dictum
- Your Honor, that statement was obiter dictum.
Examples
-
The lawyer noted that the statement made by the judge was merely an obiter dictum and not part of the legal decision.
-
MM's obiter dictum about classifying music on a left-right scale is worth thinking about.
Blog text (24) -
His enviably fluid English style brings these topics to life, and his incessant curiosity into the byways of the disciplines throws up some entertaining obiter dicta in footnotes.
Academic text (2007) -
During the trial, the judge mentioned an obiter dictum that clarified his opinion without affecting the ruling.
-
In her written opinion, the justices included an obiter dictum that provided insight into their thought process.
Synonyms
1
3.3
A short casual remark that someone says without thinking
1
9.2
A judge's remark in a case that is not part of the decision and not binding
Surface Forms
Morphology
obiter + dictum
This is a learned Latin legalism: 'obiter' is not a regular English word and although 'dictum' suggests a saying or remark, the specific technical sense 'a non‑binding judicial remark' is specialized and not compositionally derivable by a B1 learner. Because the phrase is a genre‑specific borrowing (legal terminology) and relies on knowledge of Latin/legal usage rather than ordinary word combination, it is opaque to typical learners.
Etymology
Obiter dictum comes from two Latin words, obiter and dictum, where obiter means 'by the way' and dictum means 'a thing said'. Judges used it for remarks said in passing, not part of the court's main decision, so those comments are not legally binding.