Phrase guide

nulla pœna sine lege

phrase · 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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  • Anglicised: /ˌnʌlə ˈpiːnə ˌsaɪni ˈliːdʒi/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Latinate: /ˌnʊlə ˈpɔɪnə ˌsiːneɪ ˈleɪɡeɪ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

phrase

Meaning 1

The principle that a person shall receive no punishment unless he has committed an offence as explicitly defined in a law.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Latin: nūlla (feminine form of nūllus, “not any”) + poena (“penalty”, “punishment”) + sine (“without”) + lēge (ablative singular form of lēx, “a law”) = “no punishment without a law”.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 罪刑法定原則 /罪刑法定原则 — nulla poena sine lege
  • Chinese Mandarin: 罪刑法定主義 /罪刑法定主义 (zuìxíngfǎdìngzhǔyì) — nulla poena sine lege
  • Finnish: nulla poena sine lege -periaate — nulla poena sine lege
  • Finnish: laillisuusperiaate — nulla poena sine lege
  • German: nulla poena sine lege — nulla poena sine lege
  • German: keine Strafe ohne Gesetz — nulla poena sine lege
  • Japanese: 罪刑法定主義 (zaikeihouteisyugi) — nulla poena sine lege
  • Korean: 죄형법정주의 (joehyeongbeopjeongjuui) — nulla poena sine lege