jurist Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a legal scholar versed in civil law or the law of nations
    legal expert.
  2. noun a public official authorized to decide questions brought before a court of justice
    judge; justice.

WordNet

Ju`rist noun
Etymology
F. juriste, LL. jurista, fr. L. jus, juris, right, law. See Just, a.
Definitions
  1. One who professes the science of law; one versed in the law, especially in the civil law; a writer on civil and international law.
    It has ever been the method of public jurists to raw a great part of the analogies on which they form the law of nations from the principles of law which prevail in civil community. Burke.

Webster 1913