jurisprudence

noun

ju·​ris·​pru·​dence ˌju̇r-əs-ˈprü-dᵊn(t)s How to pronounce jurisprudence (audio)
1
: the science or philosophy of law
they have no theories of jurisprudence but … decide each case on its factsR. 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 courtsBernard Schwartz
3
: a department of law
medical jurisprudence
jurisprudential adjective
jurisprudentially 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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Such a liberal court could also create sanity out of the madness that is the current court’s Second Amendment jurisprudence, paving the way for Congress and the states to pass rational gun laws. Noah Feldman, The Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2024 Eager to extend the Warren Court’s liberal jurisprudence and fearful that his Great Society might suffer the fate of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal initiatives at the hands of conservative jurists, Johnson resolved to maintain the institution’s ideological bent. Michael Bobelian, TIME, 7 Oct. 2024 The jurisprudence of these two could not be more antithetical. Blake D. Morant, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024 The case will likely work its way up to India’s Supreme Court, which has a complex jurisprudence regarding questions of conversion. Arundhati Katju, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2020 See all Example Sentences for jurisprudence 

Word History

Etymology

see jurisprudent

First Known Use

1654, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of jurisprudence was in 1654

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Dictionary Entries Near jurisprudence

Cite this Entry

“Jurisprudence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jurisprudence. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

jurisprudence

noun
ju·​ris·​pru·​dence ˌju̇r-ə-ˈsprüd-ᵊn(t)s How to pronounce jurisprudence (audio)
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 How to pronounce jurisprudence (audio)
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 provisionsLouisiana Civil Code
2
: the science or philosophy of law
they have no theories of jurisprudence but…decide each case on its factsR. H. Bork
jurisprudential adjective
Etymology

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

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