precedent

See also: précédent and précèdent

English

Alternative forms

• præcedent (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle French, from Old French, from Latin praecēdēns, present participle of praecēdere (“to precede”); See precede.

Pronunciation

• (noun):
  • (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada) enPR: prĕsʹĭ-dənt, IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɛs.ɪ.dənt/
  • (General Australian, Ireland) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹiː.sɪ.dənt/, /ˈpɹɛs-/
  • (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹes.ɪ.dənt/, /ˈpɹiː-/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (adjective):
  • IPA^(key): /pɹɪˈsiː.dənt/

Noun

precedent (plural precedents)

1. An act in the past which may be used as an example to help decide the outcome of similar instances in the future.
   • 1594–1597, Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Will[iam] Stansby [for Matthew Lownes], published 1611, →OCLC, (please specify the page):

     Examples for cases can but direct as precedents only.

2. (law) A decided case which is cited or used as an example to justify a judgment in a subsequent case.
3. An established habit or custom.
4. (obsolete, with definite article) The aforementioned (thing).
   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC:
     , New York 2001, p.74:

     A third argument may be derived from the precedent.

5. The previous version.
6. (obsolete) A rough draught of a writing which precedes a finished copy.
   • c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:

     My Lord Melun, let this be copied out,
     I did suppose it should be on constraint ;
     And keep it safe for our remembrance :
     But , heaven be thank'd , it is but voluntary ,
     Return the precedent to these lords again

Coordinate terms

• (a case used as an example to justify a judgment in a subsequent one): case law

Derived terms

terms derived from precedent (noun)

• binding precedent
• condition precedent
• declaratory precedent
• original precedent
• persuasive precedent
• precedented
• precedential
• precedent-setting
• precedent sub silentio
• unprecedented

Translations

past act used as example

• Arabic: سَابِقَة f (sābiqa)
• Asturian: precedente m
• Belarusian: прэцэдэ́нт m (precedént)
• Bulgarian: прецеде́нт (bg) m (precedént)
• Catalan: precedent m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 實例／实例 (zh) (shílì), 範例／范例 (zh) (fànlì), 事例 (zh) (shìlì), 先例 (zh) (xiānlì), 前例 (zh) (qiánlì)

• Czech: precedens (cs) n, precedent (cs) m
• Dutch: precedent (nl)
• Finnish: ennakkotapaus (fi)
• French: précédent (fr)
• Galician: precedente m
• Georgian: პრეცედენტი (ṗrecedenṭi)
• German: Präzedenz (de) n, Präzedenzfall (de) m
• Greek: προηγούμενο (el) n (proïgoúmeno)
• Hebrew: תַּקְדִּים (he) m (takdím)
• Hungarian: precedens (hu)
• Italian: precedente (it) m
• Japanese: 先例 (ja) (せんれい, senrei), 前例 (ja) (ぜんれい, zenrei)
• Korean: 사례(事例) (ko) (sarye), 전례(前例) (ko) (jeollye)
• Macedonian: преседа́н m (presedán)
• Maori: tauira (mi)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: presedens m

  Nynorsk: presedens m

• Polish: precedens (pl) m
• Portuguese: precedente (pt) m
• Romanian: precedent (ro)
• Russian: прецеде́нт (ru) m (precedént)
• Spanish: precedente (es) m
• Tagalog: kasumundan
• Turkish: emsal (tr), teamül (tr)
• Ukrainian: прецеде́нт (uk) m (precedént)

leading case which is cited to justify a judgment

• Bulgarian: прецедент (bg) m (precedent)
• Catalan: precedent m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 判例 (zh) (pànlì)

• Czech: precedens (cs) m, judikát m, judikatura f
• Dutch: jurisprudentie (nl)
• Esperanto: precedento, precedenco
• Finnish: ennakkotapaus (fi)
• French: décision de principe f
• Galician: precedente m
• Georgian: პრეცედენტი (ṗrecedenṭi)
• German: Präjudiz (de) f, Präzedenzfall (de) m
• Greek: δεδικασμένο (el) n (dedikasméno)
• Hebrew: תַּקְדִּים (he) m (takdím)
• Hungarian: precedens (hu)
• Italian: pregiudiziale (it) f
• Japanese: 判例 (ja) (hanrei)
• Korean: 판례(判例) (ko) (pallye) (law only)
• Macedonian: преседа́н m (presedán)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: prejudikat (no) n

  Nynorsk: prejudikat n

• Polish: precedens (pl) m
• Portuguese: precedente (pt) m
• Russian: прецеде́нт (ru) m (precedént)
• Spanish: precedente (es) m
• Swedish: prejudikat (sv) n
• Turkish: içtihat (tr)

Adjective

precedent (not comparable)

1. Happening or taking place earlier in time; previous or preceding. [from 14th c.]

   Synonyms: antecedent, predecessive

2. (now rare) Coming before in a particular order or arrangement; preceding, foregoing. [from 15th c.]
   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition III, section 2, member 1, subsection i:

     In the precedent section mention was made, amongst other pleasant objects, of this comeliness and beauty which proceeds from women […].

Translations

earlier in time

• Bengali: সাবেক (bn) (śabek)
• Bulgarian: предишен (bg) (predišen), предхождащ (bg) (predhoždašt)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: edeltävä (fi)
• French: précédent (fr)
• Georgian: წინა (c̣ina), წინამავალი (c̣inamavali), წინამორბედი (c̣inamorbedi)
• Greek: προηγούμενος (el) (proïgoúmenos)
• Italian: precedente (it)
• Macedonian: пре́тходен (préthoden)
• Russian: предше́ствующий (ru) (predšéstvujuščij), предыду́щий (ru) (predydúščij)
• Tagalog: kasumundan

Verb

precedent (third-person singular simple present precedents, present participle precedenting, simple past and past participle precedented)

1. (transitive, law) To provide precedents for.
2. (transitive, law) To be a precedent for.

See also

• stare decisis

Anagrams

• precented

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin praecēdentem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [pɾə.səˈðen]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [pɾə.səˈðent]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [pɾe.seˈðent]

Adjective

precedent m or f (masculine and feminine plural precedents)

1. previous, preceding

Noun

precedent m (plural precedents)

1. precedent

Related terms

• precedència
• precedir

Further reading

• “precedent” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “precedent”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “precedent” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “precedent” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Czech

Noun

precedent m inan

1. precedent (past act used as example)

   Synonym: precedens

Declension

Declension of precedent (hard masculine inanimate)

	singular	plural
nominative	precedent	precedenty
genitive	precedentu	precedentů
dative	precedentu	precedentům
accusative	precedent	precedenty
vocative	precedente	precedenty
locative	precedentu	precedentech
instrumental	precedentem	precedenty

Related terms

• See cese

Further reading

• “precedent”, in Kartotéka Novočeského lexikálního archivu (in Czech)
• “precedent”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French precedent. First attested in the 16th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌpreː.seːˈdɛnt/, /ˌpreː.səˈdɛnt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pre‧ce‧dent
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

Noun

precedent n (plural precedenten)

1. precedent

Derived terms

• precedentwerking

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin praecēdēns. Compare Middle French preceder.

Adjective

precedent m (oblique and nominative feminine singular precedent or precedente)

1. preceding; that comes before
   • 1377, Bernard de Gordon, Fleur de lis de medecine (a.k.a. lilium medicine):

     Fievre ethique vient sans fievre precedente

     Ethical[?] fever comes without a preceding fever

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French précédent.

Noun

precedent n (plural precedenți)

1. precedent

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	precedent	precedentul		precedenți	precedențile
genitive-dative	precedent	precedentului		precedenți	precedenților
vocative	precedentule			precedenților