adjudicate

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The Word of the Day for March 3 is: 

adjudicate   \uh-JOO-dih-kayt\   verb
     1 : to settle judicially
    *2 : to act as judge

Example sentence:
     In his concurring opinion in _Gillis v. City of Waycross_, 
Judge Mikell said that judges are not replaceable at will -- 
the judge voted into office should be the judge to adjudicate 
in all cases.

Did you know? 
     "Adjudicate" is one of several terms that give testimony 
to the influence of "jus," the Latin word for "law," on our 
legal language. "Adjudicate" is from the Latin 
verb "adjudicare," from "judicare," meaning "to judge," which, 
in turn, traces to the Latin noun "judex," meaning "judge." 
English has other "judex" words, such as "judgment" 
"judicial," "judiciary," and "prejudice." If we admit further 
evidence, we discover that the root of "judex" is "jus," the 
word for "law." What's the verdict? Latin "law" words 
frequently preside in English-speaking courtrooms. Not only 
the "judex" words, but "jury," "justice," "injury," 
and "perjury" are all ultimately from Latin "jus." 

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.