decretal
/dɪˈkriːt(ə)l
/noun
A papal decree concerning a point of canon law.But those writings were condemned as spurious in the decretals attributed to Pope Gelasius at the end of the fifth century....
- Elsewhere on my site there is an example of a decretal from such an early collection.
- The new collection of decretals had an immediate diffusion and between 1250 and 1350 many copies were produced in the universities of northern Italy and France.
adjective
Of the nature of a decree.Findings of fact and conclusions of law that do not contain decretal language are not appealable....
- The presidential decretal law no.33 of 1992 regarded salaries and rewards for armed forces and security.
Origin
Middle English: from late Latin decretale, neuter of decretalis (adjective), from Latin decret- 'decided', from the verb decernere.