Meanings
plural certioraris
- USlawA grant of the right of an appeal to be heard by an appellate court where that court has discretion to choose which appeals it will hear.
- UKlawA grant of review of a government action by a court with discretion to make such a review.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna common law writ issued by a superior court to one of inferior jurisdiction demanding the record of a particular case
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latincertiōrō“to make certain”
- Englishcertiorari
From the present passive infinitive of Latin certiōrō (“to make certain”), from the words used at the beginning of these writs when they were written in Latin: certiorārī volumus (“[we] wish to be made certain”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
certiorari. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/certiorari
“certiorari.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/certiorari. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “certiorari,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/certiorari.
Source: certiorari on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.