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tribunal

[ trahy-byoon-l, tri- ]
/ traɪˈbyun l, trɪ- /
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noun

a court of justice.
a place or seat of judgment.
Also called tribune. a raised platform for the seats of magistrates, as in an ancient Roman basilica.

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RELATED WORDS

judge, justice, board, committee, bar, forum, judiciary, bench, council, magistrate

Nearby words

  1. tribrachia,
  2. tribromide,
  3. tribromoacetaldehyde,
  4. tribromoethanol,
  5. tribulation,
  6. tribunate,
  7. tribune,
  8. tribune group,
  9. tributary,
  10. tribute

Origin of tribunal

1520–30; < Latin tribūnal, tribūnāle judgment seat, equivalent to tribūn(us) tribune1 + -āl(e) -al2
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tribunal

British Dictionary definitions for tribunal

tribunal

/ (traɪˈbjuːnəl, trɪ-) /

noun

a court of justice or any place where justice is administered
(in Britain) a special court, convened by the government to inquire into a specific matter
a raised platform containing the seat of a judge or magistrate, originally that in a Roman basilica

Word Origin for tribunal

C16: from Latin tribūnus tribune 1
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 tribunal

tribunal

n.

mid-15c., from Old French tribunal (13c.), from Latin tribunal "platform for the seat of magistrates, elevation, embankment," from tribunus "official in ancient Rome, magistrate," literally "head of a tribe," from tribus (see tribe). Hence, a court of justice or judicial assembly (1580s).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper