n. legal document setting forth rules governing a particular kind of activity; "there is a law against kidnapping"

n. the learned profession that is mastered by graduate study in a law school and that is responsible for the judicial system; "he studied law at Yale"

n. a rule or body of rules of conduct inherent in human nature and essential to or binding upon human society

n. a generalization that describes recurring facts or events in nature; "the laws of thermodynamics"

n. the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"

n. the lowest tone of a harmonic series

n. the branch of philosophy concerned with the law and the principles that lead courts to make the decisions they do

n. the force of policemen and officers; "the law came looking for him"

adj. of great significance or value; "important people"; "the important questions of the day"

adj. being or involving basic facts or principles; "the fundamental laws of the universe"; "a fundamental incomatibility between them"; "these rudimentary truths"; "underlying principles"

adj. (used especially of ideas or principles) deeply rooted; firmly fixed or held; "deep-rooted prejudice"; "deep-seated differences of opinion"; "implanted convictions"; "ingrained habits of a lifetime"; "a deeply planted need"

adj. furthest or highest in degree or order; utmost or extreme; "the ultimate achievement"; "the ultimate question"; "man's ultimate destiny"; "the ultimate insult"; "one's ultimate goal in life"

adj. serving as an essential component; "a cardinal rule"; "the central cause of the problem"; "an example that was fundamental to the argument"; "computers are fundamental to modern industrial structure"

n. a legally binding command or decision entered on the court record (as if issued by a court or judge); "a friend in New Mexico said that the order caused no trouble out there"

n. an act passed by a legislative body

n. a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits

n. a document incorporating an institution and specifying its rights; includes the articles of incorporation and the certificate of incorporation

n. a set of rules or principles or laws (especially written ones)

n. (law) a judicial remedy issued in order to prohibit a party from doing or continuing to do a certain activity; "injunction were formerly obtained by writ but now by a judicial order"

n. the ideal in terms of which something can be judged; "they live by the standards of their community"

n. the ideal in terms of which something can be judged; "they live by the standards of their community"

n. law enacted by a legislative body

n. anything indispensable; "food and shelter are necessities of life"; "the essentials of the good life"; "allow farmers to buy their requirements under favorable conditions"; "a place where the requisites of water fuel and fodder can be obtained"

n. (music) the first note of a diatonic scale

n. (usually plural) a necessary commodity for which demand is constant

adj. performing an essential function in the living body; "vital organs"; "blood and other vital fluids"; "the loss of vital heat in shock"; "a vital spot"; "life-giving love and praise"

adj. having a firm basis in reality and being therefore important, meaningful, or considerable; "substantial equivalents"

adj. of extreme importance; vital to the resolution of a crisis; "a crucial moment in his career"; "a crucial election"; "a crucial issue for women"

adj. having a meaning or purpose; "a meaningful explanation"; "a meaningful discussion"; "a meaningful pause"

adj. showing intellectual penetration or emotional depths; from the depths of your being; "the differences are profound"; "a profound insight"; "a profound book"; "a profound mind"; "profound contempt"; "profound regret"

adj. having wisdom that comes with age and experience

adj. having or prompted by wisdom or discernment; "a wise leader"; "a wise and perceptive comment"

adj. evidencing the possession of inside information

adj. having succeeded or being marked by a favorable outcome; "a successful architect"; "a successful business venture"

adj. established firmly and securely; "the entrenched power of the nobility"

adj. preceding all others in time or space or degree; "the first house on the right"; "the first day of spring"; "his first political race"; "her first baby"; "the first time"; "the first meetings of the new party"; "the first phase of his training"

adj. of a mental act performed entirely within the mind; "a cognition is an immanent act of mind"

adj. existing as an essential constituent or characteristic; "the Ptolemaic system with its built-in concept of periodicity"; "a constitutional inability to tell the truth"

adj. belonging to a thing by its very nature; "form was treated as something intrinsic, as the very essence of the thing"- John Dewey

adj. constitutional in the structure of something (especially your physical makeup)

adj. absolutely necessary; vitally necessary; "essential tools and materials"; "funds essential to the completion of the project"; "an indispensable worker"

adj. urgently needed; absolutely necessary; "a critical element of the plan"; "critical medical supplies"; "vital for a healthy society"; "of vital interest"

adj. performing an essential function in the living body; "vital organs"; "blood and other vital fluids"; "the loss of vital heat in shock"; "a vital spot"; "life-giving love and praise"

adj. unornamented; "a simple country schoolhouse"; "her black dress--simple to austerity"

adj. free from pomp or affectation; "comfortable but modest cottages"; "a simple rectangular brick building"; "a simple man with simple tastes"

adj. clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment; "the effects of the drought are apparent to anyone who sees the parched fields"; "evident hostility"; "manifest disapproval"; "patent advantages"; "made his meaning plain"; "it is plain that he is no reactionary"; "in plain view"

adj. of or relating to or characteristic of Sparta or its people

adj. without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative) intensifiers; "an arrant fool"; "a complete coward"; "a consummate fool"; "a double-dyed villain"; "gross negligence"; "a perfect idiot"; "pure folly"; "what a sodding mess"; "stark staring mad"; "a thoroughgoing villain"; "utter nonsense"; "the unadulterated truth"

adj. normally existing at birth; "mankind's connatural sense of the good"

adj. of a mental act performed entirely within the mind; "a cognition is an immanent act of mind"

adj. in or near a center or constituting a center; the inner area; "a central position"; "central heating and air conditioning"

adj. being of crucial importance; "a pivotal event"; "Its pivotal location has also exposed it to periodic invasions"- Henry Kissinger; "the polar events of this study"; "a polar principal"

adj. preceding all others in time or space or degree; "the first house on the right"; "the first day of spring"; "his first political race"; "her first baby"; "the first time"; "the first meetings of the new party"; "the first phase of his training"

adj. performing an essential function in the living body; "vital organs"; "blood and other vital fluids"; "the loss of vital heat in shock"; "a vital spot"; "life-giving love and praise"

adj. existing as an essential constituent or characteristic; "the Ptolemaic system with its built-in concept of periodicity"; "a constitutional inability to tell the truth"

adj. constitutional in the structure of something (especially your physical makeup)

adj. basic and fundamental; "the essential feature"

adj. absolutely essential

adj. uppercase; "capital A"; "great A"; "many medieval manuscripts are in majuscule script"

adj. used of the first or originating agent; "prime mover"

adj. constitutional in the structure of something (especially your physical makeup)

adj. necessary foods or commodities; "wheat is a staple crop"

adj. not to be dispensed with; essential; "foods indispensable to good nutrition"

adj. basic and fundamental; "the essential feature"

adj. important in effect or meaning; "a significant change in tax laws"; "a significant change in the Constitution"; "a significant contribution"; "significant details"; "statistically significant"

adj. having great material or monetary value especially for use or exchange; "another human being equally valuable in the sight of God"; "a valuable diamond"

adj. serving as or forming a base; "the painter applied a base coat followed by two finishing coats"

adj. of or being the essential or basic part; "an elementary need for love and nurturing"

adj. arising from or going to the root; "a radical flaw in the plan"

adj. having intellectual depth; "a deeply thoughtful essay"

adj. (simple)

adj. having only one part or element; "a simplex word has no affixes and is not part of a compound--like `boy' compared with `boyish' or `house' compared with `houseboat'"

adj. made easy or uncomplicated

adj. representing the furthest possible extent of analysis or division into parts; "a feeling is a simple and undecomposable mental state"- G.S.Brett; "this weight of evidence is something mystical and unanalyzable"-M.R.Cohen

adj. lacking complexity; "small and uncomplicated cars for those really interested in motoring"; "an unsophisticated machine"

adj. of the greatest importance; "the all-important subject of disarmament"; "crucial information"; "in chess cool nerves are of the essence"

adj. first in order of importance; "the alpha male in the group of chimpanzees"; "the alpha star in a constellation is the brightest or main star"

adj. significant; "graduation was a big day in his life"

adj. of immediate import; "burning issues of the day"

adj. most important element; "the chief aim of living"; "the main doors were of solid glass"; "the principal rivers of America"; "the principal example"; "policemen were primary targets"

adj. having important issues or results; "the year's only really consequential legislation"; "an eventful decision"

adj. of radical or major importance; "a Copernican revolution in modern art"

adj. (used of persons) standing above others in character or attainment or reputation; "our distinguished professor"; "an eminent scholar"; "a great statesman"

adj. important in history; "the historic first voyage to outer space"

adj. indicating the head of a staff; "editor-in-chief"

adj. of distinguished importance; "a measurable figure in literature"

adj. of great consequence; "marriage is a serious matter"

adj. highly important to or an integral part of a strategy or plan of action especially in war; "a strategic chess move"; "strategic withdrawal"; "strategic bombing missions"

adj. having great material or monetary value especially for use or exchange; "another human being equally valuable in the sight of God"; "a valuable diamond"

adj. not important; "a relatively unimportant feature of the system"; "the question seems unimportant"

adj. (informal) small and of little importance; "a fiddling sum of money"; "a footling gesture"; "our worries are lilliputian compared with those of countries that are at war"; "a little (or small) matter"; "a dispute over niggling details"; "limited to petty enterprises"; "piffling efforts"; "giving a police officer a free meal may be against the law, but it seems to be a picayune infraction"

adj. having no meaning or direction or purpose; "a meaningless endeavor"; "a meaningless life"; "a verbose but meaningless explanation"

adj. being or affecting or concerned with a surface; not deep or penetrating emotionally or intellectually; "superficial similarities"; "a superficial mind"; "his thinking was superficial and fuzzy"; "superficial knowledge"; "the superficial report didn't give the true picture"; "only superficial differences"