‘Judicial’ v. ‘Judicious’: We’ll Settle The Case

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adjectives Justice And wise are close etymological relatives, which often leads people to believe that they have overlapping meanings. Indeed, there was a time when they shared a meaning: “to have or exercise correct judgment”; however, in modern English, only wise used in that sense. Before examining the current usage of both words, let’s take a look at their records to see how this overlap has played out in the past—and if you’ve ever made a “court decision.” ” and think that means it’s based on logical reasoning, then we’ll see if that usage should, uh, be disproved.

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Like justice, the dictionary is impartial.

Origin of Judicious and Judicial: Judex

Justice is the older one, first recorded in the 14th century. It is ultimately from the Latin noun judex. In Roman law, that noun meant “an individual appointed to hear and determine a case”, or more simply, “a judge”. Judex Formed from Jusmeans “law or reason” and the end -dic or -dex—from verb dicemeans “to decide” or “to say.” Judex passed into Anglo-French and introduced into English in the 1300s, becoming a noun judgment. (Latin verb Justice became compressor in French-English and also borrowed into English—before that, in the 13th century—as adult. Over time, that Middle English word evolved into a modern verb judgment.)

From judex also derived from the Latin noun courtused for things like legal proceedings or trials, panels of judges, judgments or rulings, or opinions weighed. courtwhich in turn became the origin of the Latin adjectives Justice (translated to English as Justice) And judge (passed as judicial authorities, often seen in the phrase “judicial commission,” referring to a committee that oversees the administration of justice). At France, Justice was used to form the adjective judgewhich English borrowed in the late 16th century as wisemeans “have or exercise reasonable judgment.”

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Modern difference

Despite being linguistically related, today the difference between the main meanings of words is still clear: Justice has to do primarily with judges and the law (as in “judicial power” and “judicial branch of government”), while wise came to suggest reasonable judgment of a generic kind (as in “a fair and discerning critic”, “a discerning shopper” or “a fair use of resources”).

Historically, however, that has not always been the case. Apparently, the notion that a person making a judicial decision under the law is also making a right decision (with good reason) has led people to use these words interchangeably. In the 17th century, wise often used as a synonym for Justice. For example, William Shakespeare wrote in his play Coriolanus of a “reasonable hearing.”

That use is now obsolete. Justice as a synonym of wise dates back to the late 1500s. That use has also been considered obsolete, but evidence in modern English suggests that the label is mistaken. Here are a few examples where Justice Where is it used? wise Can be expected:

The investment judgment requires the judicial expertise of someone else to manage. — Franklin D. Roosevelt, March 12, 1935, on Donald’s Day, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Own Story1951

… a practical, judicial man whose conduct is as trustworthy as the Constitution itself…. — Chicago CourtOctober 21, 1987

Engineering News… warns engineers to “maintain a judicial attitude in considering the serious question of how responsibility should be divided for defects in design, construction and erection.” —Henry Petroski, Engineers of dreams1995

“Although his rulings were met with bitter denunciation and political exploitation by some in his home state, this judicial man’s unflinching determination to uphold the rule of law was at the core of his decision. America’s core has endured and will prevail,” [Jimmy] Carter wrote [in a letter]. — Tom Gordon, News about Birmingham (Alabama)July 28, 1999

This use Justice instead wise is understandable, but it’s not universal and most rules are against it. Most writers would choose wise in its place, and you may also want to avoid going to trial for adjective abuse.

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Categories: Usage Notes
Source: vothisaucamau.edu.vn

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