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  

/ ˌdʒʊərɪsˈpruːdəns /

noun

1. the science or philosophy of law

2. a system or body of law

3. a branch of law

   medical jurisprudence

---

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

---

Explanation

You want a word that’s a whole mouthful? Try jurisprudence, the study and philosophy of law. You want to study jurisprudence? Get ready for law school, where you’ll find even longer, more troubling words. The Latin-based word jurisprudence is made up of two parts, juris "of law" and prudence which goes back to mean "knowledge." If you study law, you study jurisprudence. You can modify it to show a specific type of law, so you will find terms such as medical, human rights, Islamic or American jurisprudence. Sometimes the word is used as a collective to mean the legal world. This is a new issue that jurisprudence will have to deal with.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

jurisprudence

As President Reagan and his lawyers began their campaign to reshape American jurisprudence, an important early clash involved the tax-exempt status of Bob Jones University.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

Mr. Arkes is founder and a co-director of the James Wilson Institute on Natural Rights and the American Founding and a professor emeritus of jurisprudence at Amherst College.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

That is because, even as he ignored precedent’s binding force, he paid homage to its jurisprudence.

From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026

And with that, you’re officially up to speed on a big day in jurisprudence.

From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2026

Such critics also pointed out that, thanks to the commercialization of Everest, the once hallowed peak has now even been dragged into the swamp of American jurisprudence.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• act
• case
• charge
• charter
• code
• constitution
• decision
• decree
• legislation
• mandate
• measure
• order
• precedent
• regulation
• requirement
• ruling
• statute

---