1540–50; < Medieval Latin Salicus, equivalent to Late Latin Sal ( iī ) (plural) tribal name + -icus -ic
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Since her father abolished the so-called Salic law, which allows only male heirs – she can expect to be the next head of her royal house.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
If Salic Law had applied in Great Britain and Victoria had not succeeded King William IV as Queen in 1837, who would be the sovereign today?
From Time • Jul. 23, 2013
Repeal of the Salic Law forbidding female rulers allowed her to succeed to the throne.
From Time Magazine Archive
Charlemagne and Louis the Pious seem to have made efforts to bring the other laws into harmony with the Salic law.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 3 "Capefigue" to "Carneades" by Various
Sometimes, as in the case of the first text of the Salic law, the system on which they were compiled is not exactly known; but it was generally done under the royal authority.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 8 "France" to "Francis Joseph I." by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
