Meanings
nounMary Bell order (plural Mary Bell orders)
plural Mary Bell orders
- UKinformalA court order forbidding publication of any information that could identify a child involved in legal proceedings.
Origin
Named after Mary Bell, a child tried for manslaughter in 1968.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
Mary Bell order. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mary%20Bell%20order
MLA
“Mary Bell order.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mary%20Bell%20order. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Mary Bell order,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mary%20Bell%20order.
Source: Mary Bell order on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.