# jury

Pronunciation: say "JUUR-ee" US /ˈd͡ʒʊɹi/, UK /ˈd͡ʒʊəɹi/

## Noun

1. A group of people chosen from the public to hear the evidence in a court case and decide the verdict.
   - Simple: A group of ordinary people chosen to listen to a court case and decide if someone is guilty.
   - _The jury deliberated for several hours before reaching a unanimous verdict._
   - _In criminal trials, juries must agree beyond reasonable doubt before convicting._
2. A group of judges who evaluate the entries in a competition and decide the winners or award the prizes.
   - Simple: A group of people who judge a contest and decide the winners.
   - _The film festival jury awarded the top prize to a first-time director._
   - _Competition juries often disagree sharply before settling on a single winner._
5. The first-night audience whose reaction at a premiere may decide whether the production succeeds or fails. *(slang)*
   - Simple: The crowd at a show's first night, whose reaction can make or break it.
   - _The producers held their breath, waiting to see how the jury responded to the premiere._
   - _A cold jury on opening night can doom even a well-rehearsed play._

## Verb

3. To evaluate and select entries for a show or competition by means of a panel of judges.
   - Simple: To choose or judge entries using a group of judges.
   - _Curators jury the submissions, accepting only a fraction for the gallery wall._
   - _Each year a committee juries thousands of photographs for the exhibition._

## Adjective

4. Makeshift and meant only for temporary use, as a rough contrivance improvised to serve until a proper replacement can be made.
   - Simple: Made for short-term use as a quick, temporary fix.
   - _The crew steered by a jury rudder for the last hundred miles._
   - _A jury rig kept the dinghy moving after its boom broke._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3, 5** — From Middle English jure, via Anglo-Norman juree and Medieval Latin iūrāta, from Latin iūrō ("I swear or take an oath").
**Meaning 4** — Recorded from the early 1600s and of uncertain origin. It perhaps comes ultimately from Old French ajurie (from Latin adiūtō), or alternatively from Frankish *garu ("ready, prepared"), related to Old English ġearu ("ready, prompt, prepared") and to gear.

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