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res ipsa loquitur. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
res ipsa loquitur, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
res ipsa loquitur in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
From the Latin phrase rēs ipsa loquitur (“the thing speaks for itself”, literally “the thing itself speaks”).
Phrase
res ipsa loquitur
- The import of a thing or situation is obvious.
- Synonyms: clear cut, cut and dried, open and shut, open and shut case
- (tort law) A maxim where the very improbable facts of an accident imply the negligence of the defendant. It effectively shifts the burden of proof to the defendant.
- Coordinate term: prima facie
2004, Nurse's Legal Handbook, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, →ISBN, page 160:The court in that case established three criteria that must be shown for res ipsa loquitur to apply: The injury must be the kind that ordinarily doesn't occur in the absence of some type of negligence.
2005, Vivienne Harpwood, Modern Tort Law, 6th edition, Psychology Press, →ISBN, page 153:Res ipsa loquitur was frequently applied in cases involving foreign bodies in foodstuffs.
Translations
maxim where improbable facts imply negligence
Latin
Alternative forms
Etymology
From rēs (“thing”) + ipsa (“herself”), the feminine of ipse (“himself”) because rēs is a feminine word + loquitur (“she speaks”) the third-person form of loquor (“I speak”). Literally meaning "the thing itself speaks" or "the matter itself speaks".
Phrase
rēs ipsa loquitur
- the thing speaks for itself