ipsissima verba
From Latin, meaning "the very words." Used especially in legal contexts in reference to quotations from an authoritative text.
1. noun The exact words of some piece of speech or text. The ipsissima verba of the court's ruling has been used as the standard by which all 50 states word their free-speech laws. I would use the ipsissima verba of this case because it set the precedent for the argument you're making. No, I still don't understand the thought process behind this. What is the ipsissima verba of the judge's decision?
2. adverb In exactly the same words; verbatim. When pressed by the tribunal, the senator merely repeated ipsissima verba the statement he made earlier in the week. The police need to hear the threat this man made against you ipsissima verba. I just told you ipsissima verba what the judge said, and you still don't believe me, huh?
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.