What does dictum mean?
Word: Dictum
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Dictum means a short saying that states a rule or a general truth; also a formal statement made by someone in authority.
Synonyms: saying, motto, principle
Word origin: From Latin dictum, something said, from dicere, to say.
How do you spell dictum?
Syllables: dic - tum
Tricky part: The middle is ct with no k, so dikctum is wrong.
Watch out for: dictam, dikctum, dictem
Memory tip: Many Latin words end in um, such as museum and stadium, and dictum ends the same way.
Dictum in a sentence
Example 1: Mr Iyer's dictum, read before you write, is printed inside every exercise book.
Example 2: The scientist's dictum, test everything twice, hangs on the laboratory wall.
Example 3: Waste not, want not was my grandmother's favourite dictum.
Fun Fact
Its plural is usually dicta, though dictums is also accepted in modern dictionaries.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt wrongly. Choose its meaning:
1. metafor 2. anecdote 3. dictum 4. paradox
a) a short, wise saying
b) a comparison that says one thing is another
c) a short story about a real event
d) a statement that seems to contradict itself
Show answer
b) a comparison that says one thing is another. Metaphor writes its f sound as ph, as in photo, so metafor is the odd one out.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word dictum as used in the sentence:
The old headmaster lived by the dictum that a tidy desk makes a tidy mind.
a) question
b) maxim
c) rumour
d) riddle
Show answer
b) maxim. A maxim is a short rule for living, exactly what the headmaster followed.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
The new principal opened the assembly with a tucmid about kindness that the whole school soon knew by heart.
a) dictum
b) diction
c) tedium
d) datum
Show answer
a) dictum. Six letters with a c and an m but no o, n or e: diction and tedium fall away, and datum has no i or c.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Before every match, the captian repeats one simple dictum to the team: keep calm, watch the ball and enjoy the game.
a) simple
b) captian
c) dictum
d) repeats
Show answer
b) captian. In captain the a comes before the i; the rest of the sentence is spelt correctly.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these could be called a dictum?
a) Where is my red pen?
b) Please pass the salt.
c) The bus is late today.
d) Honesty is the best policy.
Show answer
d) Honesty is the best policy.
2. A dictum is most like a ____.
a) puzzle
b) promise
c) proverb
d) poem
Show answer
c) proverb
