translate
Blog

Finding Legal Dictionaries

By Michelle Buhalo •  January 11, 2022
  •  

Legal dictionaries can be especially useful when conducting legal research. Jenkins has a number of legal dictionaries available in the library for visitor use.

Black's Law Dictionary is probably the most recognizable legal dictionary. Currently in its 11th edition (2019), this dictionary was first published in 1891 by Henry Campbell Black, a legal author and editor. In the Preface to the first edition, Black writes, "The dictionary now offered to the profession is the result of the author's endeavor to prepare a concise and yet comprehensive book of definitions of the terms, phrases, and maxims used in American and English law and necessary to be understood by the working lawyer and judge, as well as those important to the student of legal history or comparative jurisprudence."

The 11th edition of Black's Law Dictionary is available on the library's Westlaw computers as well as in print. For those doing historical research, Jenkins has prior editions of Black's beginning with the 1st edition from 1891. The member database HeinOnline (available to most Jenkins members) also has the 1st (1891) and second (1910) editions.

Another legal dictionary, Bouvier Law Dictionary, is thought to be the first legal dictionary based on American law and was originally compiled by Philadelphia attorney John Bouvier. First published in 1839, this dictionary is now put out by the legal publisher Wolters Kluwer. The 2012 edition is available in print in the library. Jenkins has select prior editions, including the 1st edition from 1839, in our Rare Book Room. Historic editions are also available in HeinOnline in Spinelli's Law Library Reference Shelf .

For those looking for more "simplified" legal dictionaries, take a look at Findlaw Legal Dictionary from Thomson Reuters, Law.com Legal Terms and Definitions, and Nolo's Free Dictionary of Law Terms and Legal Definitions.

Looking for more legal dictionaries? Check out our Legal Dictionaries research guide for a full list of legal dictionaries available at Jenkins.

More from the blog

Legal Dictionaries
October 20, 2022
OED Oxford English Dictionary logo

BIPOC, Panda Eyes, and Pumpkin Spice: New Definitions to the Oxford English Dictionary

The September 2022 update to the Oxford English Dictionary added over 650 new words, senses, and sub-entries, including BIPOC , panda eyes , and pumpkin spice . This update was a big one for entries relating to "shock" and "top". New word entries include shock absorption , shockeroo ,...
Legal Dictionaries
June 2, 2022
Oxford English Dictionary logo on dark blue background

Citing to the Oxford English Dictionary

In previous blog posts, we've explored the different editions of the Oxford English Dictionary and its evolution from print resource to an online database (see Part 1 and Part 2 ). For those needing to cite to an OED definition, the OED Online now has a "Cite" feature to help users format the...
Legal Dictionaries
March 31, 2022
OED Oxford English Dictionary logo

700 New Words, Senses, and Phrases Added to the Oxford English Dictionary

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) , updated on a quarterly basis, just added 700 new words, senses, and phrases in its March 2022 update . This update was so large, OED Editors devoted four blog articles to it! For an overview of the update, take a look at Content warning: may contain notes on...