jurisprudence

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 27, 2024 is: jurisprudence \joor-us-PROO-dunss\ noun Jurisprudence is a formal word that typically refers to the science or philosophy of law, or to a system or body of law. // An undergraduate class on jurisprudence inspired her decision to go to law school. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jurisprudence) Examples: "The nine justices follow our national debate as close as any political pundit, and it shapes their jurisprudence in countless ways." — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2024 Did you know? "For a farewell to our [jurisprudent](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jurisprudent), I wish unto him the [gladsome](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gladsome) light of jurisprudence…." With this farewell to English [jurist](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jurist) [Sir Thomas Littleton](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Littleton), another jurist named [Sir Edward Coke](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-Coke) welcomed two new words into English. In 1628, his jurisprudence meant "knowledge of or skill in law," a now-archaic sense that reflects the meaning of the word's root. Jurisprudence goes back to the Latin phrase prudentia juris (literally "skill in law"), from which came the Late Latin formation jurisprudentia, and subsequently the English word. The noun jurisprudent means "one skilled in law"—in other words, a jurist or a judge. There's also [jurisprude](https://www.merriam-webster.com/legal/jurisprude), a somewhat rare 20th-century [back-formation](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back-formation) created from jurisprudence with influence from [prude](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prude). It means "one who makes a showy display of jurisprudential learning."