legal dictionary

[ lee-guhl dik-shuh-ner-ee ]

noun

1. a specialized dictionary covering terms used in the various branches of the legal profession, as civil law, criminal law, and corporate law. A comprehensive legal dictionary adds to its body of standard English entries many words and phrases that have made their way into modern legal practice from law French and Latin and are often not found in a general English monolingual dictionary. Such a specialized dictionary is useful not only for law students and for attorneys themselves, but for members of the lay public who require legal services. Legal dictionaries published in print follow the normal practice of sorting entry terms alphabetically, while online dictionaries allow direct, immediate access to a search term.

Word History and Origins

Origin of legal dictionary¹

First recorded in 1825–30

Example Sentences

Without referring to any material, Mr. Raskin immediately corrected his colleague with the most up-to-date definition from the latest edition of the legal dictionary.

From Washington Times

If the authors of the next legal dictionary are seeking a solid definition of “contempt,” they need look no further than the Department of Education.

From Los Angeles Times

The legal term “sovereign immunity,” according to the Wex Legal Dictionary, means that “the government cannot be sued without its consent.”

From Washington Times

The deal, however, is kind of complex, so get a legal dictionary and try to keep up with the promotion's 2,800-word-long set of arcane and kind of hilarious rules -- really, there is a spreadsheet involved and everything.

From Los Angeles Times

Justice Michael Lynch then read the definition of person according to Black’s Law Dictionary, the most widely used legal dictionary in the United States.

From Slate