lex
1 Americannoun
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leges
plural
abbreviation
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lexical.
-
lexicon.
noun
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a system or body of laws
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a particular specified law
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of lex
First recorded in 1490–1500, lex is from the Latin word lēx
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.
See Examples For:
He told AFP Babis most probably complied with the Czech conflict of interest law, dubbed "lex Babis".
From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026
But dura lex, sed lex — the law is hard, but it is the law — and the law in California forbade slavery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2021
Salus populi suprema lex, he reminds us: public health must be the highest law.
From Nature ● Oct. 14, 2019
The classical root of “privilege,” privus lex, means “private law.”
From Washington Post ● Sep. 27, 2018
A foedus is a league, or compact, but it is often used as synonymous with lex, and Renaissance commentators on Lucretius interpreted him as talking about the laws of nature.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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There is an old Latin phrase, inter arma enim silent leges, which roughly translates as "in time of war, the Constitution is silent."
From Time ● Jun. 23, 2011
There will be special rates for col leges, etc.
From Time Magazine Archive
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Trained in their own staff col leges or U.S. military schools, the officers, especially the younger ones, feel that they can do a better job.
From Time Magazine Archive
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Tucked away in western Massachusetts are four of the better U.S. col leges: Smith, Mount Holyoke, Amherst and the University of Massachusetts.
From Time Magazine Archive
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This is hardly a basilica for a trial," he replied, "but 'inter arma silent leges.'
From A Friend of Caesar A Tale of the Fall of the Roman Republic. Time, 50-47 B.C. by William Stearns Davis
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.