jury¹

[joo r-ee] /ˈdʒʊər i/

noun, plural juries..

a group of persons sworn to render a verdict or true answer on a question or questions officially submitted to them.

such a group selected according to law and sworn to inquire into or determine the facts concerning a cause or an accusation submitted to them and to render a verdict to a court.

Compare grand jury, petty jury.

a group of persons chosen to adjudge prizes, awards, etc., as in a competition.

verb (used with object), juried, jurying.

to judge or evaluate by means of a jury:

All entries will be juried by a panel of professionals.

Idioms

the jury is (still) out, a decision, determination, or opinion has yet to be rendered:

The jury is still out on the president's performance.

Origin

1250-1300; Middle English jurie, juree, < Old French juree oath, juridical inquiry, noun use of juree, feminine past participle of jurer to swear; cf. jurat

Related forms

juryless, adjective

Usage note

See collective noun.

jury²

[joo r-ee] /ˈdʒʊər i/

adjective, Nautical

makeshift or temporary, as for an emergency:

a jury mast.

Origin

1610-20; compare jury mast (early 17th century), of obscure origin; perhaps to be identified with late Middle English i(u)were help, aid, aphetic form of Old French ajurie, derivative of aidier to aid, with -rie -ry

Examples from the web for jury

The heavily nuanced legal flap surrounded instructions a federal judge had given to the jury.
Serving on a criminal jury exposes one to unpleasant realities about the legal system and human nature.
jury selection in the trial is expected to continue all week.
Most of those notions proved false or impractical, and the jury is still out on the rest.
In an effort to avoid prison, defendants have increasingly demanded jury trials.
The jury may be out on whether you can teach old dogs new tricks.
When you review some of these wrongful conviction cases, it's clear that the jury did not do its job.
The jury will consider each entry on its own merits and is empowered to grant as many awards as the submissions justify.
Criminal defendants rarely face jury trials, because they have.
jury trials over accounting matters are unpredictable, given their technical nature and jurors' limited expertise.

British Dictionary definitions for jury

jury¹

/ˈdʒʊərɪ/

noun (pl) -ries

a group of, usually twelve, people sworn to deliver a true verdict according to the evidence upon a case presented in a court of law See also grand jury, petit jury

a body of persons appointed to judge a competition and award prizes

(informal) the jury is still out, it has not yet been decided or agreed on

Word Origin

C14: from Old French juree, from jurer to swear; see juror

jury²

/ˈdʒʊərɪ/

adjective

(mainly nautical) (in combination) makeshift: jury-rigged

Word Origin

C17: of unknown origin

Word Origin and History for jury

early 14c. (attested from late 12c. in Anglo-Latin), from Anglo-French juree (late 13c.), from Medieval Latin iurata "an oath, an inquest," fem. past participle of Latin iurare "to swear," from ius (genitive iuris) "law" (see jurist). Meaning "body of persons chosen to award prizes at an exhibition" is from 1851. Grand jury attested from early 15c. in Anglo-French (le graund Jurre).

adj.

"temporary," 1610s, in jury-mast, a nautical term for a temporary mast put in place of one broken or blown away, of uncertain origin. The word perhaps is ultimately from Old French ajurie "help, relief," from Latin adjutare (see aid (n.)).