ultima ratio
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.74 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
legal philosophy under which penal redress to crime should only be used as a measure of last resort
Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Since punishment (including death and prison in the United States) is the harshest type of public measure or burden that the state may take or impose against an individual and the state has the duty to consider the rights and interests of all people involved or affected by a situation (including those who cause harm), the ultima ratio principle requires that less harmful responses or measures, including noncriminal ones, be adopted if those responses or measures would adequately advance a legitimate goal such as addressing harmful behavior."
Etymology
From Latin [Term?].
Origin
- Source language: Latin