Exequatur

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɛksɪˈkweɪtə/

Definitions

1. A formal authorization by a competent authority that permits the enforcement of a foreign court's ruling within a particular jurisdiction
2. An official recognition process that validates and enforces a foreign judicial decision in a domestic legal system
3. A legal procedure through which one jurisdiction acknowledges and enforces a ruling from another jurisdiction in its courts

Etymology: Latin "exequatur" is a verb form meaning "let it be carried out," from the Latin verb "exsequi," "to follow through" or "to carry out." The "ex-" prefix adds the sense of completing an action fully, and the word in its Latin legal setting was the operative instruction that gave a document or order its binding force. English borrowed it directly from Latin, keeping the Latin form intact, so the English noun still carries the original command in its grammar. The meaning in English stayed closely tied to that legal function. A state's authorities, typically a court or ministry, issue an exequatur to a foreign judgment or consular appointment, signaling that it may now be enforced domestically. The word thus names the act of authorizing something that was decided elsewhere, which is exactly what the Latin imperative originally asked for.