ratio decidendi

noun

The legal principle or rationale on which a judicial decision is based.

OriginMedieval Latin ratiō dēcidendī →
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounratio decidendi (plural rationes decidendi)

plural rationes decidendi

  1. lawThe legal principle or rationale on which a judicial decision is based.

Origin

  1. Medieval Latinratiō dēcidendī
  2. Englishratio decidendi

Borrowed from Medieval Latin ratiō dēcidendī, from ratiō (“reckoning, method, reasoning”) + dēcidendī, genitive singular of dēcidendus, gerund of dēcidere (“to settle”).

More words from Medieval Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 判決依據 /判决依据
  • 判決依據 /判决依据 (pànjué yījù)legal principle on which judicial decision is based
Finnish oikeusohje
  • oikeusohjelegal principle on which judicial decision is based
Greek σκεπτικό
  • σκεπτικό (skeptikó)legal principle on which judicial decision is based
Cite this entry
APA

ratio decidendi. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ratio%20decidendi

MLA

“ratio decidendi.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ratio%20decidendi. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ratio decidendi,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ratio%20decidendi.

Source: ratio decidendi on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.