obiter dictum

\ɔ.bi.tɛʁ dik.tɔm\

/\ɔ.bi.tɛʁ dik.tɔm\/ noun

The verdict

“obiter dictum” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Dans une décision de justice, désigne un passage indicatif, une opinion, qui ne justifie pas la décision.

Corpus desk

Index FR-obiter-dictum · obiter dictum · French

obiter dictum · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "O" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for obiter dictum
PropertyValue
Headwordobiter dictum
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɔ.bi.tɛʁ dik.tɔm\
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « obiter dictum » en français

obiter dictumn'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

obiter dictum is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \ɔ.bi.tɛʁ dik.tɔm\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Dans une décision de justice, désigne un passage indicatif, une opinion, qui ne justifie pas la décision.".

obiter dictum has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is obiter dictum, spelled O-B-I-T-E-R- -D-I-C-T-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Dans une décision de justice, désigne un passage indicatif, une opinion, qui ne justifie pas la décision.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how obiter dictum appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. L’intérêt de la décision rendue par le Conseil d’Etat réside dans l’obiter dictum inséré par le juge qui précise, compte tenu du statut de candidat à l’attribution d’un marché public du requérant, qu’en cette qualité le demandeur avait tout intérêt à utiliser la voie de droit spécialement conçue pour lui : le référé précontractuel.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "obiter dictum"?
"obiter dictum" is spelled O-B-I-T-E-R- -D-I-C-T-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is \ɔ.bi.tɛʁ dik.tɔm\.
What does "obiter dictum" mean?
As a noun, "obiter dictum" means: Dans une décision de justice, désigne un passage indicatif, une opinion, qui ne justifie pas la décision.
How do you pronounce "obiter dictum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "obiter dictum" is \ɔ.bi.tɛʁ dik.tɔm\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "obiter dictum" come from?
"obiter dictum" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list