prima facie. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

prima facie

SYLLABICATION:	pri·ma fa·cie
PRONUNCIATION:	prm fsh -sh, -sh-
ADVERB:	At first sight; before closer inspection: They had, prima facie, a legitimate complaint.
ADJECTIVE:	1. True, authentic, or adequate at first sight; ostensible: prima facie credibility. 2. Evident without proof or reasoning; obvious: a prima facie violation of the treaty.
ETYMOLOGY:	Middle English, manifestly, from Latin prm faci : prm, feminine ablative of prmus, first + faci, ablative of facis, shape, face.


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.