"precedents" in the noun sense
1. precedent, case in point
an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time
2. case law, precedent, common law
civil law) a law established by following earlier judicial decisions
3. common law, case law, precedent
a system of jurisprudence based on judicial precedents rather than statutory laws
"common law originated in the unwritten laws of England and was later applied in the United States"
4. precedent
a subject mentioned earlier (preceding in time)
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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