Phrase guide

stare decisis

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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  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: stâr′ē dĭ-sī′sĭs
  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈstɛə̯ɹ.i dɪˈsaɪ̯.sɪs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The principle of following judicial precedent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin stāre dēcīsīs, from stāre (“to stand; to stay, to remain”) + dēcīsīs, ablative plural of dēcīsus, from dēcidere (“to sever, to decide”). Literally, “to stand by decided matters”.

Across languages

Translations

3 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 遵循先例 (zūnxún xiānlì) — principle of following judicial precedent
  • Finnish: ennakkotapausoppi — principle of following judicial precedent
  • Polish: stare decisis — principle of following judicial precedent