Adjudicature

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The system or office responsible for judging and deciding legal disputes or cases
2. An official body or institution that holds judicial authority to resolve legal matters
3. The function or place where legal cases are heard and decisions are made according to law

Etymology: Its core is a Latin act of pronouncing law. "Judex" (judge) combines "ius" (law) with "dicere" (to say), so a judge was originally one who speaks the law. From "judicare," meaning to judge or pronounce judgment, Latin formed "adjudicare," to award or decide something in someone's favour, with the prefix "ad-" adding the sense of directing a verdict toward a party or matter. English took "adjudicate" from that Latin verb and later added the suffix "-ure," which turns a verb into a noun for a function, office, or place. "Judicature" already named the power and the courts that administer justice, and "adjudicature" follows the same pattern, building on the verb "adjudicate" to name the place where decisions are reached or the act of deciding itself.

Synonyms: judiciary, court, justice, tribunal, arbitration