voir dire

[ vwahr deer; French vwar deer ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, Law.

an oath administered to a proposed witness or juror by which they are sworn to speak the truth in an examination to ascertain their competence to serve.
the examination of a proposed witness or juror to ascertain their competence to serve.

voir dire

/ vwɑː ˈdɪə /

First recorded in 1670–80; from Anglo-French, equivalent to Old French voir “true, truly” + dire “to say”

C17: from Old French: to speak the truth

So I began voir dire by introducing my four-foot-eleven client to the jury.

Voir dire is the process whereby attorneys from both sides get to ask potential jurors questions.

The woman was opaque, her simplest answers under voir dire examination sounding like quotations from a wholesome family magazine.

April 18, 2024petrichor

[pet-ri-kawr]

Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

Browse