Precedent
[n] an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time
[n] (civil law) a law established by following earlier judicial decisions
[n] a subject mentioned earlier (preceding in time)
[n] a system of jurisprudence based on judicial precedents rather than statutory laws; "common law originated in the the unwritten laws of England and was later applied in the United States"
[adj] preceding in time, order, or significance
Related Information
Related Terms
action, ancestor, announcer, antecedent, anterior, antetype, antitype, archetype, avant-garde, award, bellwether, biotype, buccinator, bushwhacker, classic example, condemnation, consideration, criterion, decision, decree, deliverance, determination, diag