Skip to content
ontologydriven
Sign out

Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

res ipsa loquitur en · X

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin rēs ipsa loquitur (“the thing speaks for itself”, literally “the thing itself speaks”).

Meanings

  1. The import of a thing or situation is obvious.
  2. A maxim where the very improbable facts of an accident imply the negligence of the defendant. It effectively shifts the burden of proof to the defendant.
    • The court in that case established three criteria that must be shown for res ipsa loquitur to apply: The injury must be the kind that ordinarily doesn't occur in the absence of some type of negligence. 2004, Nurse's Legal Handbook, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, →ISBN, page 160:
    • Res ipsa loquitur was frequently applied in cases involving foreign bodies in foodstuffs. 2005, Vivienne Harpwood, Modern Tort Law, 6th edition, Psychology Press, →ISBN, page 153:

Coordinates

prima facie

Synonyms

open and shut case · clear cut · open and shut · cut and dried

Translations (2)

es la cosa habla por sí misma (maxim where improbable facts imply negligence) · sv saken talar för sig själv (maxim where improbable facts imply negligence)