Question

precedent n.先例 Lawyers and judges often look for a precedent can be used as a guide for a similar case. This word is used elsewhere too. Your mom might not let you stay up late because it would set a bad precedent for future bedtimes. A teacher who lets kids chew gum is setting a precedent that gum-chewing will be OK in the future. People often refer to a precedent later on as a reference point for how things should be. ★★☆☆☆ 2012.2

Accepted Answer

['presidənt] A precedent is something that sets a standard for future events. It's hard to say what the legal community would do without the word precedent, since so many legal judgments and decisions are based on what came before. The legal issues in the case are obscure: whereas the Supreme Court has ruled that states do have some regulatory authority over nuclear power, legal scholars say that Vermont case will offer a precedent-setting test of how far those powers extend. 1[N-VAR 可变名词]前例；先例 If there is a precedent for an action or event, it has happened before, and this can be regarded as an argument for doing it again.   [oft N for n]  [FORMAL 正式]The trial could set an important precedent for dealing with large numbers of similar cases...这次审判能为处理大量类似案例开创重要的先例。There are plenty of precedents in Hollywood for letting people out of contracts.在好莱坞，允许影视人员解除合同的先例有很多。

英语单词	precedent
英美音标	['presidənt]
中文释义	n.先例
vocab简明	A precedent is something that sets a standard for future events. It's hard to say what the legal community would do without the word precedent, since so many legal judgments and decisions are based on what came before.
vocab扩展	Lawyers and judges often look for a precedent can be used as a guide for a similar case. This word is used elsewhere too. Your mom might not let you stay up late because it would set a bad precedent for future bedtimes. A teacher who lets kids chew gum is setting a precedent that gum-chewing will be OK in the future. People often refer to a precedent later on as a reference point for how things should be.
真题原句	The legal issues in the case are obscure: whereas the Supreme Court has ruled that states do have some regulatory authority over nuclear power, legal scholars say that Vermont case will offer a precedent-setting test of how far those powers extend.
柯林斯星级	★★☆☆☆
柯林斯解释	1 [N-VAR 可变名词]前例；先例 If there is a precedent for an action or event, it has happened before, and this can be regarded as an argument for doing it again. [oft N for n] [FORMAL 正式] The trial could set an important precedent for dealing with large numbers of similar cases... 这次审判能为处理大量类似案例开创重要的先例。 There are plenty of precedents in Hollywood for letting people out of contracts. 在好莱坞，允许影视人员解除合同的先例有很多。
来源	2012.2

Precedent Legal Future Word Similar Set People Case