Phrase guide

noscitur a sociis

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

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

Pronunciation

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  • Latinate: /nɒskiˈtuˑɹ ˌɑˑ ˌsɔkiːʔiˑs/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌnəʊsɪtʊə ˈɑː ˌsəʊsiɪs/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A canon of construction under which the questionable meaning of a doubtful word can be derived from its association with other words.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: law

Examples

  • Foster v Diphwys Casson (1887) 18 QBD 428, involved a statute which stated that explosives taken into a mine must be in a "case or canister". Here the defendant used a cloth bag. The courts had to consider whether a cloth bag was within the definition. Under noscitur a sociis, it was held that the bag could not have been within the statutory definition, because parliament's intention was referring to a case or container of the same strength as a canister.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Latin, meaning "it is known from its associates."