pandect

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pandect

  • /ˈpændɛkt/ UK
  • /ˈpænˌdɛkt/ US

Where it comes from

Sense 3 (“comprehensive treatise”) is from Latin pandectēs (“book that contains everything, encyclopedia”), from Ancient Greek πανδέκτης (pandéktēs, “encyclopedia”, literally “all-receiver”), from παν- (pan-, prefix meaning ‘all’) (from πᾶς (pâs, “all”)) + δέκτης (déktēs, “receiver, recipient”) (from δέχομαι (dékhomai, “to receive”) (from Proto-Indo-European *deḱ- (“to take; to perceive”)) + -της (-tēs, suffix forming agent nouns)).

Sense 1 (“compendium of writings on Roman law”) in the plural form Pandects is from Late Latin pandectae (“the Pandects”), the plural of pandectēs, modelled after (Byzantine) Ancient Greek πανδέκται (pandéktai, “the Pandects”), the plural of πανδέκτης (pandéktēs): see further above.

noun pandects

  1. Ancient Rome, historical Usually in the plural form Pandects: a compendium or digest of writings on Roman law divided in 50 books, compiled in the 6th century C.E. by order of the Eastern Roman emperor Justinian I (c. 482–565). After upwards of Thirty Years Study, and a painful Induſtry, in compiling A New Pandect or Complete Body of the Roman Civil Law; the Firſt Volume of this Undertaking craves Leave to appear in the World under the Patronage and Protection of your Lordſhip, [...]
  2. broadly, rare Also in the plural form pandects: a comprehensive collection of laws; specifically, the whole body of law of a country; a legal code. In a word, it [Scripture] is a Panary of holeſome foode, againſt fenowed traditions; a Phyſions-ſhop (Saint Baſill calleth it) of preſeruatiues against poiſoned hereſies; a Pandect of profitable lawes, againſt rebellious ſpirits; a treaſurie of moſt coſtly iewels, againſt beggarly rudiments; Finally

    Similar: digest

  3. also, broadly, figuratively A treatise or similar work that is comprehensive as to a particular topic; specifically (Christianity) a manuscript of the entire Bible. The table of contents which we inſert here will give a juſt idea of the method with which this ſmall pandect of morality is compoſed.

Translations

Every language

noun compendium of writings on Roman law

Françaispandecte
DeutschPandekten
Italianopandetta

noun comprehensive collection of laws

中文法令全書 /法令全书 fǎlìngquánshū
Françaisdigeste
Italianopandetta

noun treatise or work comprehensive as to a particular topic

Françaispandecte

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MLA

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

APA

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

Chicago

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

BibTeX
@misc{pandect_2026,
  title = {pandect},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pandect},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}