Word of the Day: June 4, 2009 - edict

edict (ee-dikt) - noun

And edict is "a decree issued by a sovereign or other authority."

First used in the written form around 1250–1300. From the Latin word ēdictum, the past participle of ēdīcere ("to proclaim"). This was a compound verb formed from the prefix ex-, meaning "out" and dicere, meaning "say" (the source of the English words diction, dictionary, and dictate amongst a host of others). The passing resemblance of edict to edit is quite accidental, as they are completely unrelated.

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