Adjudgment

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The formal decision made by a court resolving a dispute or determining a legal matter
2. An official ruling by a judge or court that settles a case or issues a verdict
3. A legally binding determination given by a judicial authority on a particular issue

Etymology: "Adjudgment" is a noun built from the verb "adjudge," which came into English from Old French "ajuger," from Latin "adiudicare," meaning "to award to" or "to decide for." The Latin root combines "ad," "to," with "iudicare," "to judge." The same stem gives English "judge," "judgment," and "adjudicate," so the family is large and closely related. The "-ment" ending is a common English noun suffix, added to verbs to name the act or result of the action, as in "judgment" from "judge." "Adjudgment" therefore names the result of adjudging: the formal decision a court or authority hands down. Its spelling is an older variant of the more common "adjudgement," with both forms in use.

Synonyms: judgment, decision, ruling, verdict, determination

Antonyms: indecision, uncertainty, ambiguity, confusion, disagreement