nisi

American  

[nahy-sahy, nee-see] / ˈnaɪ saɪ, ˈni si /

adjective

1. not yet final or absolute (used, especially in law, to indicate that a judgment or decree will become final on a particular date unless set aside or invalidated by certain specified contingencies).

   a decree nisi.

---

nisi British  

/ ˈnaɪsaɪ /

adjective

1. (postpositive) law (of a court order) coming into effect on a specified date unless cause is shown within a certain period why it should not

   a decree nisi

---

Etymology

Origin of nisi

< Latin: if not, unless (conjunction)

Example Sentences

And that's only the beginning of what the nil nisi bonum faithful evaded.

From Salon • May 8, 2021

And it replaces the terms "decree nisi" and "decree absolute" with "conditional order" and "final order".

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2020

In the early 3rd century, biographer Diogenes Laërtius attributed the phrase “do not speak ill of the dead” to philosopher Chilon of Sparta, later popularized in Latin as De mortuis nihil nisi bonum.

From Washington Post • Aug. 28, 2018

So far, she has helped more than 1,000 couples, many of whom apologise to each other and go out for drinks despite their decree nisi.

From The Guardian • Jan. 14, 2017

‘Animum rege, qui nisi paret, imperat,” quoth the poet Horace.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson