Adjudges

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To assign or bestow a right or property through a legal decision
2. to formally declare a judgment in a court or arbitration setting
3. to determine the winner in a competition based on established criteria

Etymology: "Adjudges" is the third-person singular present form of "adjudge", so its history is that of the verb itself. The verb came into Middle English as "ajugen" or "adjugen", borrowed from Old French "ajugier", which in turn came from Latin "adiudicare". That Latin verb combined "ad-", meaning "to", with "iudicare", "to judge", so at its root it means something like "to judge toward" a decision. English ended up with two near-twins from the same Latin verb. "Adjudicate" entered through a more direct, learned route, while "adjudge" arrived via French and kept a slightly older, more worn-down shape. Both carry the sense of formally deciding a matter, which is why "adjudge" still turns up in legal and official contexts, where a court or authority pronounces a ruling.

Synonyms: decides, rules, determines, settles, arbitrates

Antonyms: disregards, ignores