Legal Dictionaries / Words & Phrases
Legal dictionaries and words and phrases can help you research the meaning of legal terms and the legal interpretation of legal words and phrases. This can help when you’re trying to interpret a statute for which there is no clear case law or if you’re trying to discern the meaning of a word in a key legal document, such as a contract or a will.
Legal Dictionaries
If you need to know the meaning of a legal word, use a legal dictionary. Legal dictionaries are available online and in print:
- Barron's Canadian Law Dictionary
- Lexis+ (law students only)
- Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
- In print at the reference desk
- In print in the reference section
- Dictionary of Canadian Law
- In print on the reference desk
- Black's Law Dictionary (American)
- Westlaw Edge (law students only; click the International tab)
- In print on the reference desk
Words and Phrases
Words and phrases differ from dictionaries, as they show what the courts have said about a particular term. A words and phrases source will show how courts in different jurisdictions (federal, provincial, international) have defined this term. Online words and phrases include links to these cases so you can see the definition in context.
There are a few words and phrases to choose from:
- Words & Phrases Judicially Defined in Canadian Courts and Tribunals (aka: Words & Phrases)
- Westlaw Edge (law students only)
- In print in the reference section
- Canadian Legal Words & Phrases
- Lexis+ (law students only)
- Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
- Sanagan's Encyclopedia of Words and Phrases
- In print on the reference desk