precedent : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: precedent	by the DICT Development Group
3 results for precedent
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
precedent adj preceding in time, order, or significance n an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time Synonym(s): precedent, case in point (civil law) a law established by following earlier judicial decisions Synonym(s): case law, precedent, common law a system of jurisprudence based on judicial precedents rather than statutory laws; "common law originated in the unwritten laws of England and was later applied in the United States" Synonym(s): common law, case law, precedent a subject mentioned earlier (preceding in time)
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Precedent \Preced"ent\, a. [L. praecedens, -entis, p. pr. of praecedere: cf. F. pr[82]c[82]dent. See {Precede}.] Going before; anterior; preceding; antecedent; as, precedent* services. --Shak. [bd]A precedent injury.[b8] --Bacon. {Condition precedent} (Law), a condition which precede the vesting of an estate, or the accruing of a right.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Precedent \Prec"edent\, n. 1. Something done or said that may serve as an example to authorize a subsequent act of the same kind; an authoritative example. Examples for cases can but direct as precedents only. --Hooker. 2. A preceding circumstance or condition; an antecedent; hence, a prognostic; a token; a sign. [Obs.] 3. A rough draught of a writing which precedes a finished copy. [Obs.] --Shak. 4. (Law) A judicial decision which serves as a rule for future determinations in similar or analogous cases; an authority to be followed in courts of justice; forms of proceeding to be followed in similar cases. --Wharton. Syn: Example; antecedent. Usage: {Precedent}, {Example}. An example in a similar case which may serve as a rule or guide, but has no authority out of itself. A precedent* is something which comes down to us from the past with the sanction of usage and of common consent. We quote examples in literature, and precedents in law.