nisi prius
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Originally a writ commanding a sheriff to empanel a jury which should be at the Court of Westminster on a certain day unless the judge of assize previously come to his county, as —
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “nisi prius” mean?
Originally a writ commanding a sheriff to empanel a jury which should be at the Court of Westminster on a certain day unless the judge of assize previously come to his county, as —
Is “nisi prius” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.