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jurisprudence

American  
[joor-is-prood-ns, joor-is-prood-] / ˌdʒʊər ɪsˈprud ns, ˈdʒʊər ɪsˌprud- /

noun

  1. the science or philosophy of law.

  2. a body or system of laws.

  3. a department of law.

    medical jurisprudence.

  4. Civil Law. decisions of courts, especially of reviewing tribunals.

jurisprudence British  
/ ˌdʒʊərɪspruːˈdɛnʃəl, ˌdʒʊərɪsˈpruːdəns /

noun

  1. the science or philosophy of law

  2. a system or body of law

  3. a branch of law

    medical jurisprudence
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
jurisprudence Cultural  

  1. The philosophy of law. Jurisprudence implies creating a body of law and methods for interpreting the law, studying the relationships between law and society, and predicting the effects of legal decisions. In the United States, lawmakers, attorneys, scholars, and courts all take an active role in guiding jurisprudence.

Other Word Forms

  • jurisprudential adjective
  • jurisprudentially adverb

Etymology

Origin of jurisprudence

First recorded in 1620–30; from Late Latin jūrisprūdentia, jūris prūdentia “knowledge of the law” and used in the emperor Justinian’s law codes, published between a.d. 529 and 534. See jus, prudence

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He studied Islamic jurisprudence under several high-ranking clerics, including Khamenei, and held various senior posts in the ministry of intelligence and Office of the Supreme Leader.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

Some judges have stated forthrightly where they believe the problem with administration jurisprudence originates: at the top.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2026

Enter Robert P. George, a professor of jurisprudence at Princeton and one of the country’s most respected conservative scholars.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 18, 2025

In that jurisprudence, people accused of capital crimes were guaranteed “super due process” in the handling of their cases.

From Slate • Aug. 4, 2025

An influential nineteenth-century manual on medical jurisprudence cited the saying “A medical man, when he sees a dead body, should notice everything.”

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

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.