# judge

Pronunciation: US say "JUJ" /d͡ʒʌd͡ʒ/; UK

## Noun

1. A public official who administers the law, especially by presiding over trials and delivering judgments.
   - Simple: A government official who runs court cases and decides how the law applies.
   - _The judge instructed the jury to disregard the witness's last remark._
   - _In the United States, federal appeals court judges are appointed by the president with Senate approval rather than elected._
3. A person who oversees a contest or sporting event and rules on its outcome.
   - Simple: A person who controls a game or contest and decides the result.
   - _The judge disqualified the swimmer for a false start._
   - _Olympic judges deduct points for technical errors in each routine._
6. A person who evaluates something or forms an opinion about its quality or worth.
   - Simple: A person who looks at something carefully and gives an opinion about it.
   - _He is a shrewd judge of talent in young athletes._
   - _Wine judges sample dozens of bottles in a single afternoon._
7. A person with the authority to decide the fate of someone or something in dispute.
   - Simple: A person who has the power to decide what happens to someone or something.
   - _Under the treaty, an international panel will act as judge in any dispute over the border._
   - _In the old village, the chief was the only judge of who could farm which fields._
9. A temporary leader raised up to govern the ancient Israelites in times of crisis.
   - Simple: A leader chosen to rule the ancient Israelites during times of crisis.
   - _Gideon became a judge who led his tribes against invading raiders._
   - _Samson is remembered as a judge whose strength delivered his people._

## Verb

2. To form an opinion about something or someone after careful consideration; to appraise.
   - Simple: To look at something or someone and decide what you think about them.
   - _Critics judged the film harshly for its weak script._
   - _We'll test-drive both cars this weekend and judge them on comfort and handling._
4. To criticize or form a negative opinion of another person; to be judgmental toward someone.
   - Simple: To say bad things about someone or decide they are wrong, often unfairly.
   - _She felt everyone was judging her the moment she walked in._
   - _He tends to judge people before getting to know them._
5. To conclude or consider that something is the case, based on reasoning or the available evidence.
   - Simple: To decide that something is true after thinking about what you know.
   - _Judging by the silence, the meeting had already ended._
   - _As best I can judge, the repairs will take about a week._
8. To act as a judge in a court or dispute: to hear a case, rule on it, and pass judgment or sentence.
   - Simple: To decide a case in court or settle an argument as a judge.
   - _Higher courts may judge constitutional questions that lower courts cannot._
   - _The magistrate judged the matter and issued a binding order._
10. To rule or govern the ancient Israelites in the role of a shophet.
   - Simple: To rule over the ancient Israelites as their leader.
   - _In the Book of Judges, Deborah sits under a palm tree to judge Israel._
   - _He judged Israel for forty years before his death._

## Verb

11. To condemn someone judicially; to sentence a person to punishment. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To officially decide that someone must be punished.
12. To award or assign something to a party by judicial decision; to adjudge. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To officially give something to someone as part of a legal decision.
13. To constitute a fitting measure of something, providing a basis on which an opinion may be formed. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To be a fair test for forming an opinion about someone or something.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 3, 6–7, 9** — The noun comes from Middle English 'juge', from Old French 'juge', from Latin 'iūdex'. It displaced the native Middle English 'deme' (from Old English 'dēma').
**Meanings 2, 4–5, 8, 10–13** — Latin iūdicāre passed into Old French as jugier and Anglo-Norman as juger, and Middle English borrowed it as jugen. The verb partly pushed out the native word deem, and judicate is a doublet.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/judge (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).