Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
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noun
Technical jargon common in the legal profession; the argot of lawyers.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: derogatory, informal, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Wordy, ostentatious talk or writing that resembles legal writing, especially when confusing to laypeople; bureaucratese; officialese.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: derogatory, informal, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
a style that uses the abstruse technical vocabulary of the law
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: expressive style, style
History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *leǵ-der.? Proto-Indo-European *legh-der.? Proto-Italic *lēks Latin lex Proto-Indo-European *h2el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin lēgālislbor. English legal Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-iskbor. Late Latin -iscus ▲ Vulgar Latin -iscus Latin -ēnsis Old French -eisbor. Middle English -eys English -ese English legalese From legal + -ese.
Across languages
12 source translations are retained for this English entry.
