mandamus

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun an extraordinary writ commanding an official to perform a ministerial act that the law recognizes as an absolute duty and not a matter for the official's discretion; used only when all other judicial remedies fail

From Latin mandāmus (“we command”).

I will issue a mandamus, and have your habeas corpus!" — English Eccentrics and Eccentricities, John Timbs
No thorough, metropolitan editor wants to enter upon the duties of his profession without knowing the difference between a writ of mandamus and other styles of profanity. — Remarks, Bill Nye
A mandamus was once moved for, says Doctor Burn, to compel the church-wardens and overseers to sign a certificate; but the Court of King’s Bench rejected the motion as a very strange attempt. — An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith

writ of mandamus

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