dictum

American  

[dik-tuhm] / ˈdɪk təm /

noun

• dicta,
  plural
• dictums
  plural

1. an authoritative pronouncement; judicial assertion.

   Synonyms:

   declaration, order, fiat, decree, edict

2. a saying; maxim.

   Synonyms:

   saw, truism, proverb, adage

3. obiter dictum.

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dictum British  

/ ˈdɪktəm /

noun

1. a formal or authoritative statement or assertion; pronouncement

2. a popular saying or maxim

3. law See obiter dictum

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dicta
  plural
• dictums
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dictum

1660–70; < Latin: something said, a saying, command, word, noun use of neuter past participle of dīcere to say, speak; cf. index

Explanation

"You are what you eat" is a dictum, and so is a law requiring you to curb your dog. A dictum is a formal pronouncement, a rule, or a statement that expresses a truth universally acknowledged. Dictum dates from the 16th Century. It descended from a Latin word that means "something said." In contemporary use, it means more like "something that is officially said." If the principal of your school issues a dictum declaring "no jeans in school," it's time to go shopping.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dictum dicta dictums

Druckenmiller’s opposition to Treasury policy in essence boils down to Margaret Thatcher’s famous dictum: “You cannot buck the market.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

Putting the experience of making “Faces of Death” in perspective, Goldhaber references Jean-Luc Godard’s famous dictum that every film is a documentary of its own making.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2026

The government held, and Hamilton got the economy running again using Bagehot’s dictum External link: “Lend freely, at a penalty rate, against good collateral.”

From Barron's ● Mar. 1, 2026

Write what you know, goes the dictum, and according to Mr. Pearl “some of this happened.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026

Tag seemed everywhere, shooing the curious away from us, turning cars around that violated his single-file parking dictum.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

And it included dicta — a nonbinding observation that can be cited as a “persuasive authority” in future litigation — that planted the seeds for preclearance’s demise.

From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2025

Bend menswear’s dicta to your will like Thelonious Monk stretching time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2023

The Court made clear, in dicta, that such a child is rare.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 29, 2021

Rather, the OLC memo cited three appeals court cases: two criminal cases that discussed the possibility only in speculative dicta, and one civil case.

From Slate ● Dec. 11, 2018

Bobby identified with him in that respect and especially valued one of his dicta: “Never obey anyone’s command unless it is coming from within you.”

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Some of Grede’s advice cuts against popular dictums from the 2010s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026

A new school system will be developed from a “bottom-up” movement, not “top-down” dictums.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 3, 2023

The Wing, a women-only social club and workspace in New York City, got flak for its line of Handmaid’s swag, too, which included notebooks and pens embossed with peppy dictums of female empowerment.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 10, 2018

Another master of Middle East affairs, the late literary critic Edward W. Said, described Dr. Lewis as a peddler of old-school dictums about the need for a strong guiding hand with the region.

From Washington Post ● May 19, 2018

I gave T. three dictums to guide him; the first was that we did not want a fair chance—we wanted an unfair advantage over every one else.

From Adventures and Letters of Richard Harding Davis by Charles Belmont Davis

Related Words

• adage
• aphorism
• axiom
• maxim
• precept