Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A certain number of men selected according to law, and sworn to inquire into or to determine facts concerning a cause or an accusation submitted to them, and to declare the truth according to the evidence adduced.
  • noun A body of men selected to adjudge prizes, etc., at a public exhibition or other competition. Often called jury of award.
  • noun Same as trial jury.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Law) A body of people, selected according to law, impaneled and sworn to inquire into and try any matter of fact, and to render their true verdict according to the evidence legally adduced. In criminal trials the number of such persons is usually twelve, but in civil cases and in grand juries it may different. See Grand jury under Grand, and Inquest.
  • noun A committee for determining relative merit or awarding prizes at an exhibition or competition.
  • noun a coroner's jury. See Inquest.
  • adjective (Naut.) For temporary use; -- applied to a temporary contrivance.
  • adjective a rudder constructed for temporary use.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun law A group of individuals chosen from the general population to hear and decide a case in a court of law.
  • noun A group of judges in a competition.
  • verb To judge by means of a jury

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a body of citizens sworn to give a true verdict according to the evidence presented in a court of law
  • noun a committee appointed to judge a competition

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Anglo-Norman juree, from Medieval Latin iūrāta, from Latin iūrō ("swear or take an oath").

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Examples

  • But (_to the clerk_) read the jury the actual letter -- written by Aeschines, sent by Philip; and (_to the jury_) do you observe that it is such as I have described.

    The Public Orations of Demosthenes, volume 1 384 BC-322 BC Demosthenes 1912

  • God's purpose in each case, and what God actually accomplishes in each case, in the development of character, -- these have not yet been placed before the jury; but, backed up by many fulfilled prophecies, by the character of Jesus Christ, by His resurrection, by what He has accomplished in the world, we have God's solemn assurance that _He will yet place this evidence before the jury_.

    God's Plan with Men 1900

  • (And Louisiana was so governed for years after the purchase, with different tariff requirements from those of the United States, and without trial by jury in civil cases.) _Again, the United States may even_ (as in the case of Consular Courts) _withhold the right of trial by jury_.

    Problems of Expansion As Considered In Papers and Addresses Whitelaw Reid 1874

  • Our word jury comes from a Latin word which means to promise or swear.

    An Island Story: A History of England for Boys and Girls Henrietta Elizabeth 1920

  • The phenomenon is difficult to measure, St. Pierre and several others said, because the term jury nullification is rarely invoked; defendants with substantial evidence against them are simply acquitted, or juries deadlock.

    Thestar.com - Home Page Kim Murphy 2010

  • Though no one on the jury is an expert on manga or on Japanese history, the jurors fell in love with the detailed exploration of the world of these books, a world in which men are assumed to be weak and sickly, yet women still use symbolic masculinity to maintain power.

    sfawardswatch: Tiptree Winners Announced sfawardswatch 2010

  • Though no one on the jury is an expert on manga or on Japanese history, the jurors fell in love with the detailed exploration of the world of these books, a world in which men are assumed to be weak and sickly, yet women still use symbolic masculinity to maintain power.

    Tiptree Winners Announced sfawardswatch 2010

  • ‘There’s no focal point with a jury; the jury is the public itself.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Iowa Constitution’s Due Process Clause Bars Propensity-to-Commit-Crime Evidence 2010

  • I think that deferring to the judge who was actually there to see and hear the jury is the wisest course of action here.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Sixth Circuit Now 0–4 in Habeas Cases This Term 2010

  • But Judges determine what juries see and hear, even though the constitution says that the jury is the "final" decider of all evidence and the outcome.

    Video Topic: Freedom Under Fire? 2008

Comments

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  • "A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer."

    - Robert Frost

    November 11, 2007

  • How cynical!

    November 11, 2007

  • n. A number of persons appointed by a court to assist the attorneys preventing law from degenerating into justice.

    June 1, 2008