decree nisi

American  

[nahy-sahy] / ˈnaɪ saɪ /

noun

Law.

1. a decree, especially of divorce, that will become absolute at a later date.

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decree nisi British  

/ ˈnaɪsaɪ /

noun

1. a provisional decree, esp in divorce proceedings, which will later be made absolute unless cause is shown why it should not Compare decree absolute

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Etymology

Origin of decree nisi

First recorded in 1890–95

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

decree nisi

A decree nisi was due to be granted in March 2021.

From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2022

His children cried, last August, when he announced he would be leaving, when he filed the paperwork to complete his decree nisi, and that was enough to persuade him to stay.

From New York Times ● Aug. 5, 2021

And it replaces the terms "decree nisi" and "decree absolute" with "conditional order" and "final order".

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2020

In that year, too, the affadavit of his decree nisi ending his marriage with Frost was sent from the high court to a tabloid before it reached him.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 3, 2013

"That the decree nisi in the case of Phillotson versus Phillotson and Fawley, pronounced six months ago, has just been made absolute."

From Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy

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Related Words

• annulment
• breakup
• dissolution
• separation
• split

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