jurisprudence

noun

ju·​ris·​pru·​dence ˌju̇r-əs-ˈprü-dᵊn(t)s 

1

: the science or philosophy of law

they have no theories of jurisprudence but … decide each case on its facts

—R. H. Bork

2

a

: a system or body of law

Roman jurisprudence

labor jurisprudence

b

: the course of court decisions as distinguished from legislation and doctrine

a tendency that has become apparent in the jurisprudence of the American courts

—Bernard Schwartz

3

: a department of law

medical jurisprudence

jurisprudential

ˌju̇r-əs-prü-ˈden(t)-shəl 

adjective

jurisprudentially

ˌju̇r-əs-prü-ˈden(t)-sh(ə-)lē 

adverb

Did you know?

"For a farewell to our jurisprudent, I wish unto him the gladsome light of jurisprudence…." With this farewell to English jurist Sir Thomas Littleton, another jurist named Sir Edward Coke welcomed two new words into English. In 1628, his jurisprudence meant "knowledge of or skill in law," a now-archaic sense that reflects the meaning of the word's root. Jurisprudence goes back to the Latin phrase prudentia juris (literally "skill in law"), from which came the Late Latin formation jurisprudentia, and subsequently the English word. The noun jurisprudent means "one skilled in law"—in other words, a jurist or a judge. There's also jurisprude, a somewhat rare 20th-century back-formation created from jurisprudence with influence from prude. It means "one who makes a showy display of jurisprudential learning."

Examples of jurisprudence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The big picture: The case has been filed in the Eastern District of Texas, which in turn is overseen by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals — a court that has a reputation for politicized and idiosyncratic jurisprudence. —Felix Salmon, Axios, 2 Dec. 2024

But what if the current Supreme Court disagrees that legal jurisprudence allows Democrats to shift Biden off the ticket? —Louis Jacobson and Amy Sherman, Austin American-Statesman, 23 July 2024

Celebrating foundational British jurisprudence that cemented trial by jury and the rule of law seems pretty unwoke to this observer, although historians would quibble that the right to nature was more for the barons rather than the general population at the time. —Carlton Reid, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024

This reasoning mirrors Israeli jurisprudence decried by the U.S. prior to 9/11, some analysts note. —Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see jurisprudent

First Known Use

1654, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

jurisprudence

noun

ju·​ris·​pru·​dence ˌju̇r-ə-ˈsprüd-ᵊn(t)s 

1

: a system of laws

2

: the science of law

3

: a department of law

medical jurisprudence

Legal Definition

jurisprudence

noun

ju·​ris·​pru·​dence ˌju̇r-əs-ˈprüd-ᵊns 

1

a

: a system or body of law

in the federal jurisprudence

especially : a body of law dealing with a specific issue or area

labor jurisprudence

b

: the course of court decisions as distinguished from legislation and doctrine

the jurisprudence decided under the source provisions

—Louisiana Civil Code

2

: the science or philosophy of law

they have no theories of jurisprudence but…decide each case on its facts

—R. H. Bork

jurisprudential

ˌju̇r-əs-prü-ˈden-chəl 

adjective

Etymology

Late Latin jurisprudentia knowledge of or skill in law, from Latin juris, genitive of jus right, law + prudentia wisdom, proficiency