nisi

American  

[nahy-sahy, nee-see] / ˈnaɪ saɪ, ˈni si /

adjective

1. not yet final or absolute (used, especially in law, to indicate that a judgment or decree will become final on a particular date unless set aside or invalidated by certain specified contingencies).

   a decree nisi.

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nisi British  

/ ˈnaɪsaɪ /

adjective

1. (postpositive) law (of a court order) coming into effect on a specified date unless cause is shown within a certain period why it should not

   a decree nisi

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Etymology

Origin of nisi

< Latin: if not, unless (conjunction)

Example Sentences

And that's only the beginning of what the nil nisi bonum faithful evaded.

From Salon • May 8, 2021

And it replaces the terms "decree nisi" and "decree absolute" with "conditional order" and "final order".

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2020

De mortuis nil nisi bonum, and all that, but you who don't remember JFK's presidency should recognize that he became a legend only after he was killed.

From New York Times • Nov. 28, 2015

In that year, too, the affadavit of his decree nisi ending his marriage with Frost was sent from the high court to a tabloid before it reached him.

From The Guardian • Mar. 3, 2013

The experience of true, passionate love that had been snatched away from me just when it had been in my grasp— Nil satis nisi optimum, interrupted my father’s voice, booming inside my head.

From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson