sua sponte

phrase

Without prompting or suggestion; on its own initiative.

Similar
suo motunostra spontemotu proprio
OriginLatin sua sponte →
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Meanings

phrase
  1. lawWithout prompting or suggestion; on its own initiative.
    1 more example

    Decretals... ought, properly speaking, to be distinguished, on the one hand from constitutions... enacted by the Pope sua sponte without reference to any particular case, and on the other hand from rescripts... which apply only to special circumstances or individuals, and constitute no general precedent. But this nomenclature is not strictly observed.

    1878, "Decretals" in the Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. VII, p. 22

    Synonyms: suo motu, nostra sponte, motu proprio

Synonyms & antonyms

phraseWithout prompting or suggestion; on its own initiative.

Similar
suo motunostra spontemotu proprio
Also see
ex officiosuo motu

Origin

  1. Latinsua sponte“at its own prompting; by its own impulse; of its own free will”
  2. Englishsua sponte

A borrowing of Latin sua sponte (“at its own prompting; by its own impulse; of its own free will”)

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: sua sponte on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.