EDICT E"dict, n. Etym: [L. edictum, fr. edicere, edictum, to declare, proclaim; e out + dicere to say: cf. F. édit. See Diction.]
Defn: A public command or ordinance by the sovereign power; the proclamation of a law made by an absolute authority, as if by the very act of announcement; a decree; as, the edicts of the Roman emperors; the edicts of the French monarch. It stands as an edict in destiny. Shak. Edict of Nantes (French Hist.), an edict issued by Henry IV. (A. D. 1598), giving toleration to Protestants. Its revocation by Louis XIV. (A. D. 1685) was followed by terrible persecutions and the expatriation of thousands of French Protestants.
Syn. — Decree; proclamation; law; ordinance; statute; rule; order; manifesti; command. See Law.
EDICTAL
E*dic"tal, a.
Defn: Relating to, or consisting of, edicts; as, the Roman edictal law.
EDIFICANT
Ed"i*fi*cant, a. Etym: [L. aedificans, -antis, p. pr. of aedificare.
See Edify.]
Defn: Building; constructing. [R.] Dugard.
EDIFICATION
Ed`i*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. aedificatio: cf. F. édification. See
Edify.]
1. The act of edifying, or the state of being edified; a building up, especially in a moral or spiritual sense; moral, intellectual, or spiritual improvement; instruction. The assured edification of his church. Bp. Hall. Out of these magazines I shall supply the town with what may tend to their edification. Addison.
2. A building or edifice. [Obs.] Bullokar.