jurist
Americannoun
noun
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a person versed in the science of law, esp Roman or civil law
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a writer on legal subjects
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a student or graduate of law
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(in the US) a lawyer
Etymology
Origin of jurist
1475–85; < French juriste < Medieval Latin jūrist ( a ). See jus, -ist
Explanation
A jurist is someone who is an expert in details of the legal system. Sometimes the word jurist is used to refer specifically to a lawyer or judge. If you love the law, you might want to be a jurist one day. If you become a jurist, you'll be a scholar who has studied the details and theories of law. You might work as a newspaper's legal expert or a college professor. In the U.S., it's common to refer to a judge or another legal professional as a jurist. So you might describe the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court as the top jurist in the country. Jurist comes from the Latin ius, "a right or a law."
Vocabulary lists containing jurist
This Week In Words: May 10–16, 2020
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jur, jus, List 2
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jur, jus, List 2
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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.
This week saw a rather extraordinary version of a jurist reacting to both offenses when U.S.
From Slate • Feb. 28, 2026
Former professional footballer Claude Makelele also withdrew as a jurist, citing "unforeseen personal reasons" in a statement on social media.
From Barron's • Nov. 21, 2025
The Lebanese philosopher Charles Malik and the French jurist René Cassin had little in common.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025
Amid the war’s devastating wake, Francis Lieber, a German American jurist, proposed a philosophy of amendments and humanitarian principles, the Lieber Codes, templates for the Hague and Geneva Conventions.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 15, 2025
Pater Aquillus is a jurist, and his library is filled with everything from obscure law books to ancient Scholar tomes on mathematics.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
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.
