pro se

adjective

Representing oneself (in court); without an attorney.

OriginLatin pro se →
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

adjectivepro se (not comparable)
  1. not comparablelawRepresenting oneself (in court); without an attorney.
adverbpro se (not comparable)
  1. not comparablelawRepresenting oneself in court; without an attorney.

    Previously, [public defender] Rutherford had called [defendant] Appleby "a fag" in open court and asked to be removed from the case. Appleby has also sought Rutherford's removal. All requests have been denied. Appleby is now acting pro se, with Rutherford ordered by the court to act as advisor.

    1980 February 9, Mitzel, “Appleby is Back In Court Again”, in Gay Community News, volume 7, number 28, page 6

Origin

  1. Latinpro se
  2. Englishpro se

From Latin pro se.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

pro se. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pro%20se

MLA

“pro se.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pro%20se. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pro se,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pro%20se.

Source: pro se on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.