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  1. prima facie love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. adv. At first sight; before closer inspection: They had, prima facie, a legitimate complaint.
  2. adj. True, authentic, or adequate at first sight; ostensible: prima facie credibility.
  3. adj. Evident without proof or reasoning; obvious: a prima facie violation of the treaty.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. At first view or appearance. See at prime face, under prime, a.
  2. n. A case consisting of evidence sufficient to go to the jury: that is to say, one which raises a presumption of fact, and hence will justify a verdict, though it may not require one.

Wiktionary

  1. adv. law at first sight; on the face of it
  2. adj. law apparently correct; not needing proof unless evidence to the contrary is shown

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. At first view; on the first appearance.

WordNet 3.0

  1. adv. at first sight
  2. adj. as it seems at first sight

Etymologies

  1. Latin (Wiktionary)
  2. Middle English, manifestly, from Latin prīmā faciē : prīmā, feminine ablative of prīmus, first + faciē, ablative of faciēs, shape, face. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “The public mind at such a moment falls into the old medieval confusion – he who feeds or shelters a heretic is upon prima facie evidence a heretic himself – he who knows intimately people among whom anarchists arise is therefore an”

    Twenty Years at Hull-House, With Autobiographical Notes

  • “Fa’úlun, and this, standing by itself, might prima facie be taken for a line of the Hazaj (iii.”

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night

  • “Philistines-from Caphtor, "(Amos 9: 7) and" the remnant of the maritime district of Caphtor "(Jeremiah 47: 4) it is prima facie probable that they were the Caphtorim which came out of Caphtor" who expelled the Avim from their territory and occupied it; in their place, (2: 23) and that these again were the Caphtorim mentioned in the Mosaic genealogical table among the descendants of Mizraim.”

    Smith's Bible Dictionary

  • “When the Cumberland's papers were examined by Decaen's officers, and these despatches were read and translated, there was at once a prima facie ground for saying, “this officer is not engaged on purely scientific work; he is the bearer of despatches which might if delivered have an influence upon the present war.””

    The Life of Captain Matthew Flinders

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equivalents (1)

Other words for ‘prima facie’

  1. clear

reverse dictionary (2)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. prima facie
  1. color

tags (2)

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  1. philosophy
  1. latin

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  • singlepayernow at first glance without additional investigation; self-evident; obvious Nov 29, 2007

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‘prima facie’ has been looked up 3403 times, loved by 3 people, added to 42 lists, commented on 1 time, and is not a valid Scrabble word.