prima facie

[ prahy-muh fey-shee-ee, fey-shee, fey-shuh, pree- ]

adverb

1. at first appearance; at first view, before investigation; self-evident; obvious.

adjective

1. plain or clear on initial investigation or at first view; self-evident; obvious:

   A rise in productivity correlates with rising employee well-being, making a prima facie case for improving workplace conditions.

prima facie

/ ˈpraɪmə ˈfeɪʃɪ /

(no translation)

1. at first sight; as it seems at first

Word History and Origins

Origin of prima facie¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin prīmā faciē (ablative singular of prīma faciēs); prime ( def ), facies ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of prima facie¹

C15: from Latin, from prīmus first + faciēs face

Example Sentences

Mr Justice Jay said he agreed with the Conservatives' arguments that the claim made in the advert was "prima facie false".

From BBC

Lawyers acting for Labour previously asked the High Court to grant permission to use the document, which it said contained "prima facie evidence of wrongdoing".

From BBC

Violation of this rule is considered prima facie evidence of reckless driving.

From Seattle Times

That has not stopped critics questioning why charges were dropped after four years in court and after a judge had already ruled that prosecutors had established a prima facie case.

From Reuters

He said the "prima facie" phrase used by the Cabinet Office - Latin for at first sight - was added to its conclusions by a minister out of "fairness", and on the recommendation of a lawyer.

From BBC