Word of the Day

: April 5, 2007

ex parte

adverb or adjective eks-PAR-tee

What It Means

1 : on or from one side or party only -- used of legal proceedings

2 : from a one-sided or partisan point of view

ex parte in Context

I prefer that news program because it sticks to unbiased reporting with no ex parte commentary.

Did You Know?

"Latin has not been over-used in a procedural context ('ex parte' being a rare exception)," wrote a correspondent to the London Times in May 1999. Indeed, "ex parte" (which literally meant "on behalf [of]" in Medieval Latin) pops up quite often in legal settings. An ex parte proceeding, for example, is one that occurs at the request of and for the benefit of one party, usually without the knowledge and participation of any other party. Even when "ex parte" steps outside of the courtroom -- to be used of an ex parte meeting, interview, chat, conversation, investigation, discussion, or contact, for example -- the "one-sided" sense often has some sort of legal or legislative slant, referring to involvement of just one party or side in a case or dispute.

*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.