nisi

[nahy-sahy, nee-see]

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.

nisi

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of nisi¹

< Latin: if not, unless (conjunction)

Word History and Origins

Origin of nisi¹

C19: from Latin: unless, if not

Example Sentences

A decree nisi was due to be granted in March 2021.

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His children cried, last August, when he announced he would be leaving, when he filed the paperwork to complete his decree nisi, and that was enough to persuade him to stay.

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

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But while the arrangements are due for review in a year, the deal looks more like a decree nisi than a trial separation.

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Normally an “enquiry agent” would “call around with photographs, inspect the register and take a statement, which would eventually satisfy the court’s requirements for an unopposed decree nisi.”

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