Word of the Day

: April 14, 2013

Mirandize

verb muh-RAN-dyze

What It Means

: to recite the Miranda warnings to (a person under arrest)

Mirandize in Context

In accordance with police procedures, the officers had to Mirandize the suspect to make sure that he was aware of his rights.

"According to the website, Heller's motion is baseless as there was no need for police to Mirandize the actress since she wasn't in their custody, and it's 'perfectly legal to question people involved in a car accident without reading them their rights.'" - From an article at The Huffington Post, February 26, 2013

Did You Know?

"You have the right to remain silent...." These seven words typically begin the notification that police recite to inform a suspect of his or her rights while in custody. The law requiring this recitation stemmed from a 1966 U.S. Supreme Court decision (Miranda v. Arizona) in which the court overturned the conviction of Ernesto A. Miranda on charges of rape and kidnapping. The court had determined that Miranda confessed to the crime without being informed that he could remain silent during questioning. The list of rights that must be recited to a suspect in custody subsequently became known as "the Miranda warnings." And in the 1980s, the verb "Mirandize" began appearing in print.