# res judicata

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A legal claim that has already been decided in another lawsuit or proceeding, and therefore must be dismissed.
2. The legal doctrine that claims that a case already decided in a proceeding may not be brought in any later proceeding.

## Etymology
From Latin rēs (“thing, matter, affair”) and jūdicata, feminine nominative singular form of jūdicatus, past participle of jūdico (“judge”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/res-judicata