The Black’s Law Dictionary was first published in 1891 and is considered by numerous individuals to be the chief reference book for legal terms and citations. This dictionary follows its own type of reference. It is a structure ordinarily perceived and utilized by legal experts all through the United States.
For over a century, Black’s Law Dictionary has been the highest quality level for the language of law. Today, it’s the most broadly referenced law book on the planet. By Editor in Chief Bryan A. Garner, the world famous legal lexicographer, the 11th edition is the most definitive and extensive law dictionary ever distributed.
When it comes to writing papers or reports concerning legal matters a lot of legal terminologies are involved and one has to give a reference for them so that a layman can understand what is being said. One question that comes up the most is how to cite Black’s Law Dictionary?
Let us dive straight into the article and find out the various ways one can cite a dictionary.
How To Cite Black’s Law Dictionary?
There are various ways one can cite Black’s law Dictionary:
- Make sure that when you list the title, it is either underlined or italicized.
- Make sure to mention the page number you are referencing.
- Mention the edition you are referring to and the year it was published in. Make sure to put this particular information in parentheses, followed by a full stop after the parentheses. Write the word “edition” as an abbreviation. For instance: (9th ed. 2009).
- Make sure that when you finish citing it looks like this: Black’s Law Dictionary 435 (9th ed. 2009).
Rule 15.8 of the 20th edition of the Bluebook talks about the citation of dictionaries. It is slightly different from the method of citation mentioned above in that it also states the title of entry. In simple words, Rule 15.8 of the Bluebook states that citation should have the following:
- Title of entry (italicized or underlined)
- Title of dictionary (italicized or underlined)
- Edition
- Year
Example:
Replevin, Black’s Law Dictionary (10th ed. 2014).
Keep in mind that it is far simpler to cite to a print dictionary rather than referring to an electronic one. This is because with the citation of print dictionaries, you can remove the Rule 15.9 data and replace it with just a page number.
- Example of adding a citation for the page in the Black’s Law Dictionary 9th edition (in print) where “legislative history” is found:
- Black’s Law Dictionary 983 (9th ed. 2009).
- Example of adding a citation for Black’s Law Dictionary 9th edition, on Westlaw (classic):
- Legislative History Definition, Black’s Law Dictionary (9th ed. 2009), available at
- Example of adding a citation for Black’s Law Dictionary 9th edition, on Westlaw:
- Legislative History Definition, Black’s Law Dictionary (9th ed. 2009), available at
Various formats of writing papers require different ways of citation. Some of these styles are mentioned below:
- APA (6th ed.)
In Garner, B. A., & Black, H. C. (1999). Black’s law dictionary. - Chicago (Author-Date, 15th ed.)
Garner, Bryan A., and Henry Campbell Black. 1999. Black’s law dictionary.
- Harvard (18th ed.)
GARNER, B. A., & BLACK, H. C. (1999). Black’s law dictionary.
- MLA (7th ed.)
Garner, Bryan A, and Henry C. Black. Black’s Law Dictionary. , 1999. Print.
- Turabian (6th ed.)
Garner, Bryan A., and Henry Campbell Black. Black’s Law Dictionary. 1999.
Black’s Law Dictionary Online
The 10th edition of the Black’s Law Dictionary can be found online through the paid Westlaw legal data administration. The 2nd edition of Black’s Law Dictionary, published in 1910, is currently in the public domain and is accessible online for no costs. Be that as it may, the overall availability of this online variant of the 2nd edition is restricted because it is very old. However, it can still be used for legal theory terms, and also for numerous fundamental legal terminologies regarding their general meaning. Nevertheless, references to case law will be clearly fragmented for present day purposes, and the utilization of legal language in court filings and in the court has changed with changes in law and changes in the judicial culture over the years. The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. has republished the 1st and 2nd editions of the Black’s Law Dictionary. Additionally, this dictionary is also accessible as a Windows Phone application. Apart from that, the 10th edition can also be accessed as an application for iOS gadgets.
Conclusion
West Publishing firm was the one to publish the 1st edition of the Black’s Law Dictionary in 1891 whereas the 2nd one was published in 1910. Moreover, along with the sixth edition, the Black’s Law Dictionary 5th Edition and also those that came out earlier provided case citations for any term cited. Most of the lawyers find this feature of the dictionary as its most useful as it gave them a strong point to begin with when it came to leading cases.
The Internet made legal research a lot simpler than they had ever been, so many state or circuit-specific case references and obsolete or overruled case references were removed from Black’s Law Dictionary 7th edition which was published in 1999. On the other hand, the Black’s Law Dictionary 8th edition, presented a special arrangement of updated case references and cross-references to legal reference books. The current version is the eleventh one and it was published in 2019.
Since numerous legal terms can be traced back to a Latin root word, the Dictionary gives a guide that tells the proper pronunciation of such terms. Likewise, the relevant sections give pronunciation records according to those found among North American law or medical professionals.
