Legal Dictionary - Law.com (2024)

FAQs

Is The Law Dictionary a reliable source? ›

Legal dictionaries are trustworthy sources used to look up unfamiliar terminology (including Latin words and phrases) that you encounter while conducting legal research or in your law school courses.

The unabridged edition of the Oxford English Dictionary is considered the authoritative dictionary of the English language. Also available in the Law Library are Shorter Oxford English Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.

Wex is a free legal dictionary and encyclopedia sponsored and hosted by the Legal Information Institute at the Cornell Law School. Wex entries are collaboratively created and edited by legal experts.

CREDIBLE Definition & Legal Meaning

Worthy of belief; entitled to credit. See COMPETENCY.

Dictionary.com's main, proprietary source is the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, which is continually updated by our team of experienced lexicographers and supplemented with trusted, established sources including American Heritage and Harper Collins to support a range of language needs.

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is widely accepted as the most complete record of the English language ever assembled.

Considered one of the most valuable reference tools available to the legal community, Black's Law Dictionary, Pocket Edition provides more than 21,000 clear, concise, and precise definitions for more than 15,000 terms.

Black's Law Dictionary - Free Online Legal Dictionary.

In the past, judges have resorted to the dictionary to decide important trials, but typically they consulted law dictionaries, not general dictionaries.

Is a legal dictionary and a thesaurus the same thing? ›

Compact dictionaries only define essential or basic legal terms. Thesauri provide synonyms, antonyms, and associated concepts, and often basic definitions are given.

free adj. 1 a : having the legal and political rights of a citizen [representatives… shall be determined by adding to the whole number of persons "U.S. Constitution art. I"] b : enjoying civil and political liberty [a people]

This is not only a standard reference tool for law, but an important supplement to all high school social studies courses. Also available in a 1992 abridged edition. First published in 1891, Black's is now in a 6th edition that reflects changes in tax, finance, commerce, health care, environmental and criminal law.

Legal dictionaries define terms that are unique to the practice of law. Legal dictionaries are available in print and online. Black's Law Dictionary is the most well-known legal dictionary and is often cited by courts when addressing the meaning of particular legal terms.

Secondary sources explain the law. They include legal dictionaries, legal encyclopedias, legal periodicals, annotations, and treatises. Primary sources are the law. They include codes and cases.

In most cases you should avoid using dictionaries and encyclopedias as cited sources in your papers.

Legal dictionaries define terms that are unique to the practice of law. Legal dictionaries are available in print and online.

Other publishers may use the name Webster, but only Merriam-Webster products are backed by over 150 years of accumulated knowledge and experience. The Merriam-Webster name is your assurance that a reference work carries the quality and authority of a company that has been publishing since 1831.