dictum

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dictum

/ˈdɪk.təm/ UK, US

Rhymes with -ɪktəm

Where it comes from

From Latin dictum (“proverb, maxim”), from dictus (“having been said”), perfect passive participle of dico (“to say”). Compare Spanish dicho (“saying”). Doublet of dict.

noun dicta · dictums

An authoritative statement; a dogmatic saying; a maxim, an apothegm. This should not surprise us who know that van Gogh wrote: 'To paint and to love women is incompatible'; van Gogh was right for himself, which does not mean that he was right for everybody, and I will not draw from his dictum the probably incorrect conclusion that 'To paint and to love literature is
A judicial opinion expressed by judges on points that do not necessarily arise in the case, and are not involved in it.
The report of a judgment made by one of the judges who has given it.
An arbitrament or award.

Translations

Every language

noun authoritative statement

Português	ditado
Deutsch	Machtspruch, Diktum
Русский	изрече́ние izrečénije, сенте́нция sentɛ́ncija

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MLA

"dictum." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/dictum. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

dictum. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/dictum

Chicago

"dictum." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/dictum.

BibTeX

@misc{dictum_2026,
  title = {dictum},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/dictum},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}