Black's Law Dictionary

Black's Law Dictionary is the most widely used law dictionary in the United States. Henry Campbell Black (1860–1927) was the author of the first two editions of the dictionary. The U.S. Supreme Court has cited the dictionary as a secondary legal authority in one Supreme Court case.[1] However, it remains an abridged dictionary with pronunciation guides and slight reference material.

Black's Law Dictionary
Image of the 7th edition
EditorBryan A. Garner
(1999–present)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
PublisherWest (Thomson Reuters)
Publication date
1891 (1st)
1910 (2nd)
1933 (3rd)
1951 (4th)
1968 (4thR)
1979 (5th)
1990 (6th)
1999 (7th)
2004 (8th)
2009 (9th)
2014 (10th)
2019 (11th)
ISBN978-1-5392-2975-9
WebsiteBlack's Law Dictionary

History

The first edition was published in 1891 by West Publishing, while the second edition was published in 1910.[2] The sixth and earlier editions of the book additionally provided case citations for the term cited, which was viewed by lawyers as its most useful feature, providing a useful starting point with leading cases. The invention of the Internet made legal research easier therefore many state- or circuit-specific case citations and outdated or overruled case citations were omitted from the seventh edition in 1999. The eighth edition introduced a unique system of perpetually updated case citations and cross-references to legal encyclopedias. The current edition is the eleventh, published in 2019.[3]

As many legal terms are derived from a Latin root word, the dictionary provides a pronunciation guide for such terms.[4] In addition, the applicable entries provide pronunciation transcriptions pursuant to those found among North American practitioners of law or medicine.

Availability

An online version of the tenth edition can be accessed through the paid Westlaw legal information service.

The second edition of Black's Law Dictionary (1910) is now in the public domain and could be read online for free (see External Links below). However, to be able to use this online, one must reach a certain age. The dictionary applies for legal theory terms, and many basic legal terms with respect to their general meaning. References to case law will be incomplete for modern purposes, and the use of legal language in court filings and in the courtroom has changed with changes in law and legal culture over time.[5] The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. has reprinted both the first and second editions of the dictionary (ISBN 0-9630106-0-3 and ISBN 1-886363-10-2) and it is also available as a Windows Phone application. The tenth edition of this dictionary is available as an application for iOS devices.[6] [7]

Bibliography
  • Black's Law Dictionary 11th ed. (West Group, 2019), Bryan A. Garner, editor, ISBN 978-1-5392-2975-9
  • Black's Law Dictionary 10th ed. (West Group, 2014), Bryan A. Garner, editor, ISBN 978-0-314-61300-4
  • Black's Law Dictionary 9th ed. (West Group, 2009), Bryan A. Garner, editor, ISBN 0-314-19949-7
  • Black's Law Dictionary 8th ed. (West Group, 2004), Bryan A. Garner, editor, ISBN 0-314-15199-0
  • Black's Law Dictionary 7th ed. (West Group, 1999), Bryan A. Garner, editor, ISBN 0-314-22864-0
  • Black's Law Dictionary 6th ed. (West Publishing, 1990) ISBN 90-6544-631-1
  • Black's Law Dictionary 5th ed. (West Publishing, 1979) ISBN 0-8299-2041-2
  • Black's Law Dictionary Revised 4th ed. (St. Paul: West, 1968)
  • Black's Law Dictionary 4th ed. (St. Paul: West, 1951)
  • Black's Law Dictionary 3rd ed. (West Publishing Co., 1933) (the first edition after Henry C. Black's death)
  • Black's Law Dictionary 2nd ed. (St. Paul, Minn.: West Publishing, 1910) ISBN 1-886363-10-2. Public domain (accessible for free through Google Books)
  • Black's Law Dictionary 1st ed. (St. Paul, Minn.: West Publishing, 1891) ISBN 0-9630106-0-3

Pocket editions
  • Black's Law Dictionary 5th pocket ed. (West Group, 2016), Bryan A. Garner, editor, ISBN 0-314-84489-9
  • Black's Law Dictionary 4th pocket ed. (West Group, 2011), Bryan A. Garner, editor, ISBN 0-314-27544-4
  • Black's Law Dictionary 3rd pocket ed. (West Group, 2006), Bryan A. Garner, editor, ISBN 0-314-15862-6
  • Black's Law Dictionary 2nd pocket ed. (West Group, 2001), Bryan A. Garner, editor, ISBN 0-314-25791-8

Non-English editions
  • Blackův právnický slovník. Complete translation of 6th edition into Czech. Victoria Publishing, Prague, 1993. ISBN 80-85605-23-6.
  • Āqāʼī, Bahman. Farhang-i ḥuqūqī-i Bahman: Ingilīsī-Fārsī: bar asās-i Black's law dictionary (1999)[8] (Fārsī)
  • Muqtadirah-yi Qaumī Zabān. Qānūnī, Angrezī-Urdu lug̲h̲at: Blaiks lāʼ dikshanarī se māk̲h̲ūz (Based on Black's law dictionary) / nigrān, Fatiḥ Muḥammad Malik (2002)[9] ISBN 969-474-084-3. (Urdu)

See also

References
  1. Darrell Paterson v. Walgreen Co., 18-349 (Supreme Court of the United States).
  2. OCLC 33831602
  3. https://legal.thomsonreuters.com/en/products/law-books/blacks-law-dictionary
  4. Macleod, P. R. (1997). Latin in legal writing: an inquiry into the use of Latin in the modern legal world. BCL Rev., 39, 235.
  5. Example: "libelant ": Formerly the party who filed an initiatory Pleading (a formal declaration of a claim) in an ecclesiastical or religious matter or in an admiralty case, corresponding to the plaintiff in actions at law. Since 1966, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Supplementary Admiralty Rules have governed admiralty actions, which are presently commenced by complaint [or the complainant]." West's Encyclopedia of American Law, edition 2. 2008 The Gale Group, Inc.; as found at "libelant" The Free Dictionary. Farlex. Retrieved on 13 May 2018.
  6. The Windows Phone application
  8. NCSU Libraries
  9. "University of Toronto Library". Archived from the original on 2012-01-12. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.