prima facie

[prahy-muh fey-shee-ee, fey-shee, fey-shuh, pree-]

adverb

1. at first appearance; at first view, before investigation; self-evident; obvious.

adjective

1. plain or clear on initial investigation or at first view; self-evident; obvious.

   A rise in productivity correlates with rising employee well-being, making a prima facie case for improving workplace conditions.

prima facie

/ ˈpraɪmə ˈfeɪʃɪ /

1. at first sight; as it seems at first

Word History and Origins

Origin of prima facie¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin prīmā faciē (ablative singular of prīma faciēs); prime ( def. ), facies ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of prima facie¹

C15: from Latin, from prīmus first + faciēs _face

Example Sentences

"These actions are prima facie war crimes and may rise to the level of crimes against humanity."

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“Every person born in the country,” wrote Bates in late November 1862, “is, at the moment of birth, prima facie a citizen…without any reference to race or color, or any other accidental circumstance.”

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In a statement to parliament, Swinney said the Scottish government could not ignore "prima facie evidence" that Israel was committing genocide.

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"We worked together to make sure we had a watertight prima facie case in order to lawfully arrest Aimee Betro in a foreign country without her becoming aware and potentially fleeing again," he explained.

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Any off-world bug could be analysed, possibly even brought back to Earth, providing prima facie evidence to at least significantly limit any scientific push back that may ensue.

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Related Words

• self-evident