Meanings
plural decrees
- An edict or law.
Poor hand, why quiverest thou at this decree?
1594, William Shakespeare, Lucrece (First Quarto), London: […] Richard Field, for Iohn Harrison, […], →OCLC1 more example
There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 2:1Synonyms: edict
- lawThe judicial decision in a litigated cause rendered by a court of equity.
- lawThe determination of a cause in a court of admiralty or court of probate.
- lifestyleA predetermination made by God; an act of providence.
present singular third person decrees · participle present decreeing · participle past decreed · past decreed
- To command, especially by a decree.
A court decrees a restoration of property.
4 more examples
Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 22:28In Xanadu did Kubla Khan / A stately pleasure-dome decree: / Where Alph, the sacred river, ran / Through caverns measureless to man / Down to a sunless sea.
1797, S[amuel] T[aylor] Coleridge, “Kubla Khan: Or A Vision in a Dream”, in Christabel: Kubla Khan, a Vision: The Pains of Sleep, London: […] John Murray, […], by William Bulmer and Co. […], published 1816, →OCLC, page 55The Nhasangs themselves are from Ngaba, which is in the Amdo region of northeastern Tibetan, a cultural borderland where Tibetan and Sichuan traditions meet. China has decreed that Ngaba is within Sichuan Province.
2022 November 8, Pete Wells, “Restaurant Review: Why Does This Tibetan Kitchen Also Cook Sichuan Food?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 08 Nov 2022, FoodBegone. Thus decrees Unicron, Chaos-Bringer!
2023 December 18, “Galactus VS Unicron (Marvel Comics VS Transformers)” (14:21 from the start), in DEATH BATTLE!, season 10, episode 16, spoken by Unicron (Brent Mukai)
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn edict or law.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna legally binding command or decision entered on the court record (as if issued by a court or judge)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latindēcrētum
- Old Frenchdecré
- Middle Englishdecre
- Englishdecree
From Middle English decre, decree, from Old French decré (French décret), from Latin dēcrētum.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek δόγμα, πρόσταγμα
- δόγμα (dógma)edict or law
- πρόσταγμα (próstagma)edict or law
- δικαίωμα (dikaíōma)judicial decision
- διαγνώμη (diagnṓmē)judicial decision
Arabic أَمْر, مَرْسُوم
- أَمْر (ʔamr)edict or law
- مَرْسُوم (marsūm)edict or law
Bulgarian декре́т, у́каз
- декре́т (dekrét)edict or law
- у́каз (úkaz)edict or law
- постановле́ние (postanovlénie)judicial decision
Chinese Mandarin 法令, 上諭 /上谕
- 法令 (fǎlìng)edict or law
- 上諭 /上谕 (shàngyù)edict or law
- 詔書 /诏书 (zhàoshū)edict or law
- 判決 /判决 (pànjué)judicial decision
Czech dekret
- dekretedict or law
Danish dekret, forordning
- dekretedict or law
- forordningedict or law
- domjudicial decision
- dekretereto command by a decree
- forordneto command by a decree
- bestemmeto command by a decree
Esperanto dekreto, dekreti
- dekretoedict or law
- dekretito command by a decree
Finnish asetus, määräys
- asetusedict or law
- määräysedict or law
- dekreettiedict or law
- päätösjudicial decision
- määräysjudicial decision
- päätösdetermination of a cause
- määräysdetermination of a cause
- antaa asetusto command by a decree
- julistaato command by a decree
- määrätäto command by a decree
French décret, décréter
- décretedict or law
- décréterto command by a decree
German Erlass, Dekret
- Erlassedict or law
- Dekretedict or law
- Verordnungedict or law
- Verfügungjudicial decision
- Beschlussjudicial decision
- Entscheidjudicial decision
- Gerichtsentscheidjudicial decision
- bestimmento command by a decree
- verfügento command by a decree
- verordnento command by a decree
- dekretierento command by a decree
Hindi अधिसूचना, आज्ञा
- अधिसूचना (adhisūcnā)edict or law
- आज्ञा (ājñā)edict or law
- विधान (vidhān)edict or law
Hungarian rendelet, dekrétum
- rendeletedict or law
- dekrétumedict or law
- végzésjudicial decision
- döntésjudicial decision
- határozatjudicial decision
- elrendelto command by a decree
- határozto command by a decree
- végzést hoz/meghozto command by a decree
- rendelkezikto command by a decree
Indonesian dekret, titah
- dekretedict or law
- titahedict or law
Irish acht, foraithin
- achtedict or law
- foraithinto command by a decree
- reachtaighto command by a decree
- achtaighto command by a decree
Italian decreto, ordinanza
- decretoedict or law
- ordinanzaedict or law
Japanese 命令, 詔書
- 命令 (meirei)edict or law
- 詔書 (shōsho)edict or law
- 詔勅 (shōchoku)edict or law
- 判決 (hanketsu)judicial decision
Korean 법령, 칙령
- 법령 (beomnyeong)edict or law
- 칙령 (chingnyeong)edict or law
- 결정 (gyeoljeong)judicial decision
Latin ēdictum, dēcrētum
- ēdictumedict or law
- dēcrētumedict or law
- iussiōedict or law
- sciscoto command by a decree
Malay dekri
- dekriedict or law
Norwegian Bokmål forordning
- forordningedict or law
Persian فرمان
- فرمان (farmân)edict or law
Polish dekret
- dekretedict or law
Portuguese decreto, decreto
- decretoedict or law
- decretojudicial decision
- decretarto command by a decree
Romanian decret
- decretedict or law
Russian ука́з, декре́т
- ука́з (ukáz)edict or law
- декре́т (dekrét)edict or law
- постановле́ние (postanovlénije)edict or law
- постановле́ние (postanovlénije)judicial decision
Slovak dekrét
- dekrétedict or law
Spanish decreto, decreto
- decretoedict or law
- decretojudicial decision
- decretarto command by a decree
Swahili dikrii
- dikriiedict or law
Swedish dekret, förordning
- dekretedict or law
- förordningedict or law
- förordnato command by a decree
- dekreterato command by a decree
- påbjudato command by a decree
- bestämmato command by a decree
Turkish genelge, sirküler
- genelgeedict or law
- sirküleredict or law
- kararnameedict or law
Ukrainian ука́з, декре́т
- ука́з (ukáz)edict or law
- декре́т (dekrét)edict or law
- постано́ва (postanóva)edict or law
- постано́ва (postanóva)judicial decision
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with decree
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
decree. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decree
“decree.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decree. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “decree,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decree.
Source: decree on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.