Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

dictum

/ˈdɪk.təm/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.45 in modern English

Syllables: dic-tum
IPA: /ˈdɪk.təm/

11

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An authoritative statement; a dogmatic saying; a maxim, an apothegm.

noun

A judicial opinion expressed by judges on points that do not necessarily arise in the case, and are not involved in it.

noun

The report of a judgment made by one of the judges who has given it.

noun

An arbitrament or award.

Example Sentences

"This should not surprise us who know that van Gogh wrote: 'To paint and to love women is incompatible'; van Gogh was right for himself, which does not mean that he was right for everybody, and I will not draw from his dictum the probably incorrect conclusion that 'To paint and to love literature is incompatible.'"
"[…]a dictum which he had heard an economics professor once propound[…]"
"1. The utmost in steam producing capacity permitted by weight and dimensions; in other words, capacity to boil water—H. A. Ivatt's old dictum."
"But this is not the philosophical revolution of which I speak. What Warhol's dictum amounted to was that you cannot tell when something is a work of art just by looking at it, for there is no particular way that art has to look."

Etymology

From Latin dictum (“proverb, maxim”), from dictus (“having been said”), perfect passive participle of dico (“to say”). Compare Spanish dicho (“saying”). Doublet of dict.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: *deyḱ-, dictum

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈdɪk.təm/
British English: /ˈdɪk.təm/

Inflected Forms

dicta (plural) dictums (plural)

Phrases

Aristotle's dictum Judd's dictum obiter dictum quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur ipse dixit

Frequently Paired Words

quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur ipse dixit

Synonyms

pronouncement say-so obiter dictum

Rhymes With

victim

Questions

How do you pronounce dictum?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈdɪk.təm/.
What does dictum mean?: An authoritative statement; a dogmatic saying; a maxim, an apothegm.
Where does dictum come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce dictum

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “dictum”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈdɪk.təm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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