1. The decision of a jury in a civil or criminal case about an issue which has been submitted to their judgement: The members of the jury debated the evidence for several hours before finally reaching a verdict.
2. A decision or opinion pronounced or expressed about some matter or subject; a finding, a conclusion, or a judgement: The academic committee at the university reached a unanimous verdict about the admission of the new candidate for the doctoral program.
3. Etymology: from verdit,, the Anglo-Norman variant of Old French veirdit., "true statement, sworn testimony" which evolved from verdit, the Anglo-Norman variant of Old French veirdit., " a true saying" or "report".

This was a compound formed from veir "true" (a descendant of Latin verum, related to English very) and dit, "a saying, a speech"; which came from Latin dictionem, "a saying, an expression, a word".