(in Classical Latin ) is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with , which means "concerning fact".

The terms and are used instead of "in law" and "in practice", respectively, when one is describing political or legal situations.

In a legal context, is also translated as "concerning law". A practice may exist , where for example the people obey a contract as though there were a law enforcing it, yet there is no such law. A process known as "desuetude" may allow practices to replace obsolete laws. On the other hand, practices may exist and not be obeyed or observed by the people.

Examples

It is, in fact, possible to have multiple simultaneous legalities that are not . Between 1805 and 1918, the ruling dynasty of Egypt ruled viceroys of the Ottoman Empire but acted independent rulers who maintained a polite fiction of Ottoman suzerainty. However, from about 1875, the rulers had only rule over Egypt, as it had by then become a British puppet state. Thus, Egypt was by Ottoman law a province of that empire, by Egyptian law independent, but was part of the British Empire.

See also

• List of Latin phrases