Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cy pres

/siː.pɹeɪ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.16 in modern English

Syllables
cy pres
IPA
/siː.pɹeɪ/
13
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

In the law governing charitable trusts, the doctrine that a court may direct the funds of the trust to a best alternative, to be chosen when the original beneficiary or direction is no longer possible or practicable, e.g. because it has ceased to exist or was ambiguously named.

Uncountable

noun

In the law governing class action lawsuits, the doctrine that a court may direct the residue of the monetary award to a recipient such as a charity, if funds remain once payments to the identifiable class members have been completed and other expenses paid.

Uncountable

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman cy pres (“as close”) (i.e. as close as possible), equivalent to Modern French si près or aussi près.

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

cy-pres (alternative) cy près (alternative) cy-près (alternative)

Synonyms

rule of cy pres cy pres doctrine

Questions

How do you pronounce cy pres?
The recorded pronunciation is /siː.pɹeɪ/.
What does cy pres mean?
In the law governing charitable trusts, the doctrine that a court may direct the funds of the trust to a best alternative, to be chosen when the original beneficiary or direction is no longer possible or practicable, e.g. because it has ceased to exist or was ambiguously named.
Where does cy pres come from?
From Anglo-Norman cy pres (“as close”) (i.e. as close as possible), equivalent to Modern French si près or aussi près.

How to pronounce cy pres

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “cy pres”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/siː.pɹeɪ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “cy pres”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “cy pres” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.