Words / D / Law

de minimis non curat lex

phr./deɪ ˈmɪnɪmɪs nɒn ˈkjʊərat lɛks/

C2CEFR level
99/100Rarity: very rare
TechnicalRegister

The law does not concern itself with trifling matters.

A few pence of overcharge is de minimis; no court will entertain it.

Similar: the law disregards trifles

Topic: Legal Latin in Legal English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More law words: Legal Latin