(of a court order) coming into effect on a specified date unless cause is shown within a certain period why it should not
a decree nisi
Word origin
C19: from Latin: unless, if not
nisi in American English
(ˈnaɪˌsaɪ)
conjunction
unless
used in law after decree, order, etc. to indicate that it shall take permanent effect at a specified time unlesscause is shown why it should not, or unless it is changed by further proceedings
Word origin
L < ne-, not (see no1) + si, if (see so1)
Examples of 'nisi' in a sentence
nisi
Did I approve of this fulsome enactment of the cliche Nil nisi bonum de mortuis est?
Howatch, Susan ABSOLUTE TRUTHS (2000)
Of course I had not the intimate knowledge of the scoundrel that some persons-" "Nil nisi bonum, Emerson," I murmured.
Elizabeth Peters HE SHALL THUNDER IN THE SKY (2000)