ipse dixit

noun

ip·​se dix·​it ˈip-sē-ˈdik-sət 

: an assertion made but not proved : dictum

Word History

Etymology

Latin, he himself said it

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

ipse dixit

noun

ip·​se dix·​it ˈip-sē-ˈdik-sət 

: an assertion made but not proved

According to the city, it is “self-evident” that killing animals for food is “important”; the eradication of insects and pests is “obviously justified”; and the euthanasia of excess animals “makes sense.”… These ipse dixits do not explain why religion alone must bear the burden of these ordinances

—Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah, 508 U.S. 520 (1993)

Etymology

Latin, he himself said (it)