Definition

A response or reply made by a plaintiff in a legal case, specifically to counter a defendant's previous statement or argument.

Example

In the courtroom, the lawyer prepared a surrejoinder to address the defendant's claims.

Conversation

Did you understand what the professor meant by surrejoinder in class today?

Not really, it sounded complicated to me.

Yeah, it's basically a reply to a reply in legal terms.

Oh, that makes more sense now! Thanks for explaining.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Surrejoinder → It is formed from "sur-" (meaning over or above) and "rejoinder" (from Old French *rejoindre*, meaning to join again). The word refers to a reply or response that comes after an initial response, thus indicating a reply that is 'over' or 'above' the previous one.

Memory Tip

Think of a reply that comes 'after' ('rejoinder') and is 'over' or 'above' ('sur-') the first response — that's what surrejoinder means.

Visually Confused Words