1. A saying or utterance: sometimes used with emphasis upon the fact that it is a mere saying; but more often with the implication of a formal pronouncement claiming or carrying some authority: Medical doctors are required to follow the dictum of "First, do no harm."
2. A short statement that expresses a general truth or principle: There is an old dictum which states that blood is thicker than water.
3. A thing that is generally said; a current saying; a maxim: The elderly woman had a dictum that stated that, "The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time."
4. In Law, an expression of an opinion by a judge on a matter of law, which is not the formal resolution or determination of a court: The judge repeated his legal brief as if it were the dictum of a higher court.
5. Etymology: derived from the Latin word dicere, "to say". © ALL rights are reserved.

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In law, an expression of opinion on a matter of law, given by a judge in court in the course of either an argument or a judgment, but not forming an essential part of the reasons determining the decision, and therefore not a legally binding authority: "Generally, obiter dictum means anything said as an incidental statement or remark made by a judge and is not part of a final decision."

"When an obiter dictum is stated by a judge, it can be an opinion that may have some influence over the jury and the lawyers present; so, it is an opinion based on experience and wisdom but which has not been thoroughly researched, is not entered into a judgment, and so it has no legal force."