res ipsa loquitur

[reez ip-suh loh-kwi-ter, lok-wi-, reys]

noun Law.

the rule that an injury is due to the defendant's negligence when that which caused it was under his or her control or management and the injury would not have happened had proper management been observed.

Origin of res ipsa loquitur

First recorded in 1650–60, res ipsa loquitur is from the Latin word rēs ipsa loquitur literally, the thing itself speaks

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for res ipsa loquitur

res ipsa loquitur

law the thing or matter speaks for itself

Word Origin for res ipsa loquitur

Latin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for res ipsa loquitur

Latin, "the thing speaks for itself."