puisne

American  

[pyoo-nee] / ˈpyu ni /

adjective

1. Law. younger; inferior in rank; junior, as in appointment.

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noun

1. an associate judge as distinguished from a chief justice.

puisne British  

/ ˈpjuːnɪ /

adjective

1. (esp of a subordinate judge) of lower rank

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Etymology

Origin of puisne

1590–1600; < Anglo-French, equivalent to Old French puis after (< Latin posteā ) + ne born, past participle of naistre to be born (< Latin nāscere ); puny

Example Sentences

So he enlisted as butler in the family of a puisne judge.

From Time Magazine Archive

As a puisne judge he had been conspicuous as a sound lawyer, with a strong logical mind unfettered by technicalities, but endowed with considerable respect for the common law.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 4 "Bradford, William" to "Brequigny, Louis" by Various

Judge of the Superior Court of Lower Canada, 1855-1863; assistant judge of the Court of Queen's Bench for Quebec, 1863-1864; puisne judge of the same Court, 1866-1874.

From The Makers of Canada: Index and Dictionary of Canadian History by Various

Mr Justice Field was an excellent puisne judge of the type that attracts but little public attention.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 3 "Fenton, Edward" to "Finistere" by Various

Each of these courts consists of a judge-president and two puisne judges.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 2 "Camorra" to "Cape Colony" by Various