jurisdiction
Jurisdiction means having a legal right over something. A court can have jurisdiction over a legal question, and a government can have jurisdiction over another country or territory. Even your parents could be said to have jurisdiction over you while you're under 18.
This noun jurisdiction descends from Latin jūrisdictiō, formed from jūris (from jūs "law") plus dictio, "the act of saying." Think of it as who has the right to "say" what "the law" is. In the U.S., certain crimes are tried in state courts, but when a crime involves more than one state, jurisdiction moves to the federal court system, just as the local police step down and the investigation is handled by the FBI.
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in law; the territory within which power can be exercised
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types:
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abbacy
the jurisdiction or office of an abbot
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archbishopric
the territorial jurisdiction of an archbishop
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archdeaconry
the territorial jurisdiction of an archdeacon
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bailiwick
the area over which a bailiff has jurisdiction
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caliphate
the territorial jurisdiction of a caliph
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bishopric, diocese, episcopate
the territorial jurisdiction of a bishop
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justiciary
the jurisdiction of a justiciar
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turf
range of jurisdiction or influence
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parish
the local subdivision of a diocese committed to one pastor
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patriarchate
the jurisdiction of a patriarch
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venue
in law, the jurisdiction where a trial will be held
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viceroyalty
a district or province governed by a viceroy
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archdiocese
the diocese of an archbishop
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eparchy, exarchate
a diocese of the Eastern Orthodox Church
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type of:
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district, dominion, territorial dominion, territory
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
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(law) the right and power to interpret and apply the law“courts having jurisdiction in this district”
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synonyms:
legal power
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type of:
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power, powerfulness
possession of controlling influence
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power, powerfulness
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