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res ipsa loquitur

[ reez-ip-suh-loh-kwi-ter, lok-wi-, reys ]
/ ˈriz ˈɪp sə ˈloʊ kwɪ tər, ˈlɒk wɪ-, ˈreɪs /
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noun Law.
the rule that an injury is due to the defendant's negligence when that which caused it was under their control or management and the injury would not have happened had proper management been observed.
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Origin of res ipsa loquitur

First recorded in 1650–60, res ipsa loquitur is from Latin rēs ipsa loquitur literally, “the thing speaks for itself”
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for res ipsa loquitur

res ipsa loquitur
/ (reɪs ˌɪpsɑː ˈlɒkwɪtə) /

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
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