nolo contendere

Informal, no·lo

[noh-loh kuhn-ten-duh-ree]

noun

Law.

1. (in a criminal case) a defendant's pleading that does not admit guilt but subjects them to punishment as though a guilty plea had been entered, the determination of guilt remaining open in other proceedings.

nolo contendere

/ ˈnəʊləʊ kɒnˈtɛndərɪ /

noun

1. law a plea made by a defendant to a criminal charge having the same effect in those proceedings as a plea of guilty but not precluding him from denying the charge in a subsequent action

nolo contendere

1. A plea that can be entered in a criminal or civil case, by which an accused person neither admits guilt nor proclaims innocence of a charge. Nolo contendere is Latin for “I do not wish to contend.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of nolo contendere¹

First recorded in 1830–35; from Latin: “I am unwilling to contend”; nolle prosequi ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of nolo contendere¹

Latin: I do not wish to contend