See legalese in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
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"2": "legal",
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"expansion": "legal + -ese",
"name": "af"
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"etymology_text": "From legal + -ese.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
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],
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"le‧gal‧ese"
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"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
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{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "76 24",
"kind": "topical",
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{
"_dis": "53 47",
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"examples": [
{
"ref": "1937 October 9, Smith's Weekly, Sydney, page 12, column 1:",
"text": "It is also his considered opinion that a condition precedent to any legislative action is that those best qualified to pronounce on the merits of a popular demand examine it in all its aspects. That is good Menzian legalese, as pompous as parody permits.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Technical jargon common in the legal profession, the argot of lawyers."
],
"id": "en-legalese-en-noun-NAIUPcQS",
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"lawyer",
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"(informal, derogatory) Technical jargon common in the legal profession, the argot of lawyers."
],
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"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "75 25",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "technical talk of the legal profession",
"word": "lakimiesten kapulakieli"
},
{
"_dis1": "75 25",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "technical talk of the legal profession",
"word": "kapulakieli"
},
{
"_dis1": "75 25",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"raw_tags": [
"used non-pejoratively"
],
"sense": "technical talk of the legal profession",
"tags": [
"also"
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"word": "lakikieli"
},
{
"_dis1": "75 25",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "technical talk of the legal profession",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "jargon juridique"
},
{
"_dis1": "75 25",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "technical talk of the legal profession",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Juristenjargon"
},
{
"_dis1": "75 25",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "technical talk of the legal profession",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Juristensprache"
},
{
"_dis1": "75 25",
"code": "ko",
"lang": "Korean",
"roman": "beomnyul yong'eo",
"sense": "technical talk of the legal profession",
"word": "법률 용어"
},
{
"_dis1": "75 25",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "technical talk of the legal profession",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "juridiquês"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "29 71",
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"parents": [
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{
"_dis": "24 76",
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"name": "English terms suffixed with -ese",
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},
{
"_dis": "19 81",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Entries with translation boxes",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "15 85",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 1 entry",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "10 90",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "24 76",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "20 80",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with French translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "16 84",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with German translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "24 76",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Korean translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "23 77",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "53 47",
"kind": "topical",
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"name": "Law",
"orig": "en:Law",
"parents": [
"Justice",
"Society",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
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}
],
"glosses": [
"Wordy, ostentatious talk or writing that resembles legal writing, especially when confusing to laypeople; bureaucratese; officialese."
],
"id": "en-legalese-en-noun-~2yrQpdQ",
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"derogatory",
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"ostentatious"
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"laypeople",
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"bureaucratese",
"bureaucratese"
],
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"officialese",
"officialese"
]
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"raw_glosses": [
"(informal, derogatory) Wordy, ostentatious talk or writing that resembles legal writing, especially when confusing to laypeople; bureaucratese; officialese."
],
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"derogatory",
"informal",
"uncountable"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "25 75",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "wording that resembles how lawyers write — see also bureaucratese",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "legalês"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈliː.ɡə.liːz/",
"tags": [
"UK"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈli.ɡə.liz/",
"tags": [
"Canada",
"US"
]
},
{
"audio": "en-us-legalese.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b2/En-us-legalese.ogg/En-us-legalese.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/En-us-legalese.ogg"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈliː.ɡə.liːz/",
"tags": [
"General-Australian"
]
},
{
"ipa": "[ˈlɪi.ɡə.lɪiz]",
"tags": [
"General-Australian"
]
}
],
"word": "legalese"
}
{
"categories": [
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"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
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"English uncountable nouns",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Terms with Finnish translations",
"Terms with French translations",
"Terms with German translations",
"Terms with Korean translations",
"Terms with Portuguese translations",
"en:Jargon",
"en:Law"
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"name": "af"
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"etymology_text": "From legal + -ese.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
},
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"name": "en-noun"
}
],
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"le‧gal‧ese"
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
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"English informal terms",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1937 October 9, Smith's Weekly, Sydney, page 12, column 1:",
"text": "It is also his considered opinion that a condition precedent to any legislative action is that those best qualified to pronounce on the merits of a popular demand examine it in all its aspects. That is good Menzian legalese, as pompous as parody permits.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Technical jargon common in the legal profession, the argot of lawyers."
],
"links": [
[
"derogatory",
"derogatory"
],
[
"argot",
"argot"
],
[
"lawyer",
"lawyer"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(informal, derogatory) Technical jargon common in the legal profession, the argot of lawyers."
],
"tags": [
"derogatory",
"informal",
"uncountable"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English derogatory terms",
"English informal terms"
],
"glosses": [
"Wordy, ostentatious talk or writing that resembles legal writing, especially when confusing to laypeople; bureaucratese; officialese."
],
"links": [
[
"derogatory",
"derogatory"
],
[
"ostentatious",
"ostentatious"
],
[
"laypeople",
"laypeople"
],
[
"bureaucratese",
"bureaucratese"
],
[
"officialese",
"officialese"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(informal, derogatory) Wordy, ostentatious talk or writing that resembles legal writing, especially when confusing to laypeople; bureaucratese; officialese."
],
"tags": [
"derogatory",
"informal",
"uncountable"
]
}
],
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{
"ipa": "/ˈliː.ɡə.liːz/",
"tags": [
"UK"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈli.ɡə.liz/",
"tags": [
"Canada",
"US"
]
},
{
"audio": "en-us-legalese.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b2/En-us-legalese.ogg/En-us-legalese.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/En-us-legalese.ogg"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈliː.ɡə.liːz/",
"tags": [
"General-Australian"
]
},
{
"ipa": "[ˈlɪi.ɡə.lɪiz]",
"tags": [
"General-Australian"
]
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "technical talk of the legal profession",
"word": "lakimiesten kapulakieli"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "technical talk of the legal profession",
"word": "kapulakieli"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"raw_tags": [
"used non-pejoratively"
],
"sense": "technical talk of the legal profession",
"tags": [
"also"
],
"word": "lakikieli"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "technical talk of the legal profession",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "jargon juridique"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "technical talk of the legal profession",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Juristenjargon"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "technical talk of the legal profession",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Juristensprache"
},
{
"code": "ko",
"lang": "Korean",
"roman": "beomnyul yong'eo",
"sense": "technical talk of the legal profession",
"word": "법률 용어"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "technical talk of the legal profession",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "juridiquês"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "wording that resembles how lawyers write — see also bureaucratese",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "legalês"
}
],
"word": "legalese"
}
Download raw JSONL data for legalese meaning in English (3.9kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.