Nonjudicial

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not related to courts or judicial decisions and occurring outside legal proceedings
2. Describing something that exists or happens without involving the legal system or judicial authority
3. Pertaining to matters that do not involve formal court rulings or legal processes

Etymology: Nonjudicial is about as plain a formation as English offers: the Latin-derived adjective "judicial" with the negating prefix "non-" placed in front. The prefix comes from Latin "non," meaning "not," and it has been attached to English words freely for centuries, so "nonjudicial" works like "nonpartisan" or "noncommercial," describing matters that fall outside a court's authority or procedure. The base word traces back through Middle French into Latin "iudicialis," formed from "iudicium" (judgment, legal decision), which itself comes from "iudex" (judge, literally one who declares the law). That Latin noun is built from "ius" (law, right) and a element meaning "to say or show," so a judge was, at root, someone who pronounces what is just. English took "judicial" in the late Middle Ages, and the compound with "non-" is a later, straightforward English formation.

Synonyms: extrajudicial, administrative, non-legal, informal, non-judicial

Antonyms: judicial, legal, court, official, formal