puisne

American  

[pyoo-nee] / ˈpyu ni /

adjective

1. Law. younger; inferior in rank; junior, as in appointment.

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noun

1. an associate judge as distinguished from a chief justice.

puisne British  

/ ˈpjuːnɪ /

adjective

1. (esp of a subordinate judge) of lower rank

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Etymology

Origin of puisne

1590–1600; < Anglo-French, equivalent to Old French puis after (< Latin posteā ) + ne born, past participle of naistre to be born (< Latin nāscere ); cf. puny

Example Sentences

So he enlisted as butler in the family of a puisne judge.

From Time Magazine Archive

In 1827 appointed a puisne judge of the King's Bench in Upper Canada.

From The Makers of Canada: Index and Dictionary of Canadian History by Various

In 1855 became puisne judge of the Supreme Court of New Brunswick; in 1865 chief-justice of New Brunswick; and in 1875 puisne judge of the Supreme Court of Canada.

From The Makers of Canada: Index and Dictionary of Canadian History by Various

Appointed puisne judge of the Court of Queen's Bench for Upper Canada, and in 1856 made chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas.

From The Makers of Canada: Index and Dictionary of Canadian History by Various

The two northern ones, with their vast populations and immense amount of work, are the bugbear of the puisne judge.

From The Queen Against Owen by Upward, Allen