jurisprudence

[ joor-is-prood-ns, joor-is-prood- ]

noun

1. the science or philosophy of law.
2. a body or system of laws.
3. a department of law:

   medical jurisprudence.

4. Civil Law. decisions of courts, especially of reviewing tribunals.

jurisprudence

/ ˌdʒʊərɪspruːˈdɛnʃəl; ˌdʒʊərɪsˈpruːdəns /

noun

1. the science or philosophy of law
2. a system or body of law
3. a branch of law

   medical jurisprudence

jurisprudence

1. The philosophy of law. Jurisprudence implies creating a body of law and methods for interpreting the law, studying the relationships between law and society, and predicting the effects of legal decisions. In the United States, lawmakers, attorneys, scholars, and courts all take an active role in guiding jurisprudence.

Derived Forms

• jurisprudential, adjective
• ˌjurispruˈdentially, adverb

Other Words From

• ju·ris·pru·den·tial [j, oo, r-is-proo-, den, -sh, uh, l], adjective
• juris·pru·dential·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of jurisprudence¹

First recorded in 1620–30; from Late Latin jūrisprūdentia, jūris prūdentia “knowledge of the law” and used in the emperor Justinian’s law codes, published between a.d. 529 and 534. See jus, prudence

Word History and Origins

Origin of jurisprudence¹

C17: from Latin jūris prūdentia; see jus, prudence

Example Sentences

“It’s a deeply well researched document, reflecting Dayah’s commitment to Islamic jurisprudence,” he said.

From BBC

Jeremy Stahl, jurisprudence editor Who you are voting for this year: Kamala Harris Why: You name it.

From Slate

I read your section on free speech through the lens of the current Supreme Court and its First Amendment jurisprudence.

From Slate

What we’ve seen in the context of what’s going on in Texas is there actually are some judges on the 5th Circuit who are trying to say, Yes, migration is an invasion, Texas can claim that it’s been actually invaded and thus can engage in war by managing the border and expelling people from the country, even though under long-standing Supreme Court jurisprudence, those are federal roles, not state roles.

From Slate

You can quibble with the jurisprudence of those arguments, but in March, a federal judge mandated that Juul’s parent companies must direct $45 million worth of damages to the vaping public.

From Slate

Related Words

• act
• case
• charge
• charter
• code
• constitution
• decision
• decree
• legislation
• mandate
• measure
• order
• precedent
• regulation
• requirement
• ruling
• statute