responsa means A body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 83 out of 100.
Why this word is great
RESPONSA — [Noun] A corpus of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to specific questions. From Latin respōnsa, plural of respōnsum ("answer, reply"), from the verb respondēre ("to answer"). Unlike a fatwa—a singular, non-binding Islamic opinion—or a judicial precedent—an authoritative, binding rule for future courts—responsa are the tensile record of law in sustained dialogue with life. It is the rabbi's careful script adjudicating a new technology through ancient dietary law, the Roman jurist's measured prose untangling a property dispute from a distant province, the scholar's lamp burning late over a case of disputed inheritance—the quiet, cumulative work of weaving a fixed code into a flexible garment for daily life, a testament that law is less a fortress than an endless, careful conversation.
noun
- A body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them.