Extrajudicially

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Carried out without following the proper legal procedures or the authority of a court of law
2. Done outside the normal judicial system, bypassing trial and lawful due process altogether
3. Acting beyond the bounds of the courts, so that punishment or action occurs without any formal legal hearing

Etymology: "Extrajudicially" is an adverb meaning outside the authority or process of a court, and it is built in the plainest possible way: the adjective "extrajudicial" with the suffix "-ly" added to turn it into an adverb. The adjective itself is made from the Latin prefix "extra," meaning "outside" or "beyond," and "judicial," which comes from the Latin "judicialis," relating to a judge or court. Put together, the sense is "beyond the judicial," so an action taken extrajudicially is one carried out without going through the courts. The adverb therefore inherits its whole meaning from its parts. Nothing in its history shifted sharply: the word has always described an action done by-passing the proper legal channels, most often used of punishments or killings carried out without trial. Its meaning is transparent to anyone who knows what "judicial" means, which is part of why it is so easy to build a new adverb in this way from almost any adjective ending in "-al."

Antonyms: judicially, legally