From Latin 'judex' — literally 'one who says the law,' compounding 'jus' (law) and 'dicere' (to say).
To form an opinion or conclusion about something; to decide a case in a court of law.
From Middle English 'juggen,' borrowed from Anglo-French 'juger,' from Old French 'jugier' (to judge, pronounce judgment), from Latin 'jūdicāre' (to judge, decide, declare), from 'jūdex' (judge, literally 'one who declares the law'), a compound of 'jūs' (law, right) + 'dicere' (to say, declare), from PIE roots *h₂yew- (vital force, law) and *deyḱ- (to show, to pronounce). A judge is, at the deepest etymological level, one who speaks the law — who declares what is right. Key roots: *h₂yew- (Proto-Indo-European: "vital force,
The word 'prejudice' is literally a 'pre-judgment' — from Latin 'praejūdicium' (a judgment made before the facts). And 'verdict' comes from Latin 'vērē dictum' (truly spoken) via Old French 'verdit.' The entire vocabulary of justice is built from words meaning to speak, to show, and to declare — because in the ancient world, justice was