fiat

plural fiats

1. countableuncountableAn arbitrary or authoritative command or order to do something; an effectual decree.

   A royal fiat.

   5 more examples

   A presidential fiat.

   The reflection that the fate of a fellow-creature depended on his sole fiat, would naturally inspire scrupulousness and caution; [...]

   1788, Alexander Hamilton, Federalist no. 73

   Beatrice raised her head: she looked at me as if on my words hung the fiat of life or death, fear and earnestness dilating her dark eyes—for an unconfessed hope had arisen within her.

   1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 142

   It must be an absolute fiat - something of the nature of a Mystery or of Religion or Magic - and not to be disputed.

   1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921, page 195

   The increases from December 4 in the prices of table d'hôte meals in British Railways restaurant cars were expected, in view both of a general upward trend in meal prices in the catering trade and of the fiat that train meals must pay for themselves.

   1962 February, “Talking of Trains: Dearer meals in B.R. trains”, in Modern Railways, page 78

2. countableuncountableAuthorization, permission or (official) sanction.

   To rule by fiat.

   1 more example

   A government fiat.

3. EnglishcountableuncountablelawA warrant of a judge for certain processes.
4. EnglishcountableuncountablelawAn authority for certain proceedings given by the Lord Chancellor's signature.
5. attributivecountableuncountable(Pertaining to) fiat currency.

   All silver content in coins had to be removed from the currency supply, and fiat coins (or tokens) had to take their place.

   2003, Moriah Saul, Plantation Earth: The Cross of Iron and the Chains of Debt, Trafford Publishing, →ISBN, page 83

   4 more examples

   But let us trace a little more particularly the differences between the "fiat" dollar and the greenback. The greenback, in common with every bank note any of you have ever seen, contains a promise to pay dollars.

   1888, Lew Wallace, Life of Gen. Ben Harrison, page 281

   But, say these men who claim for our Congress creative power, we will pass a law making these 'fiat' dollars legal tender for all debts, public and private.

   1892, Thomas Wallace Knox, The Republican Party and Its Leaders: A History of the Party from Its Beginning to the Present Time... Lives of Harrison and Reid, page 403

   The gold dollar is as much a fiat dollar as the silver dollar or a paper dollar, for none of them are money without this fiat [of the government, that it is legal tender].

   1896, Charles McClellan Stevens, Free Silver and the People: A Campaign Hand-book for the Struggling Millions Against the Gold-hoarding Millionaires, page 211

   […] a unit of a fiat medium of exchange like the dollar bill. Like fiat money, gold has an unstable value in relation to other goods and services. The stock of gold is historically given and cannot rapidly accommodate changes in demand.

   2013 November 11, James A. Dorn, William A. Niskanen, Dollars Deficits & Trade, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 44

present singular third person fiats · participle present fiating · participle past fiated · past fiated

1. transitiveTo make (something) happen.
2. transitivelawTo issue a fiat.

   For quotations using this term, see Citations:fiat.

plural Fiats · alternative FIAT

1. An automobile manufactured by the Italian firm Fiat S.p.A.

   You are jet-lagged, have a headache, can't stand driving a Fiat, it's turned dark and you cannot see or read the road signs.

   2005, Chris Bonner, Reducing Stress-related Behaviours in People with Dementia Care-based Therapy, page 13

   2 more examples

   Even as a young feminist who was very angry at men, a real ballbuster, I had a boyfriend who drove a Fiat, I was always fashionable, even though it was hippie gear.

   1997, Jill Nagle, Whores and Other Feminists, page 160

   We'd watched Marion pile her three kids and their stuff into an old Fiat 124 I was sure Dad must have picked for her; she didn't look like a Fiat driver at heart.

   2003, Mary-Rose MacColl, Killing Superman, page 108

1. abbreviationinitialismInitialism of fix it again Tony.

plural FIATs

1. alternativeAlternative form of Fiat.