Ipso Facto
/ˌɪpsoʊ ˈfæktoʊ/noun
By that very fact or act, without needing further proof or action.
Did you know?In legal and philosophical writing, ipso facto marks a conclusion treated as arising automatically from an established fact, almost like verbal cause-and-effect magic.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dheh₁-
“To put, place, or do; a reconstructed root associated with Latin facere.”
Classical Latin
Latin
ipse
“Himself, itself, or that very one; an emphatic pronoun.”
Classical Latin
Latin
factum
“A thing done, an act, deed, or fact; the neuter past participle of facere, “to do or make.””
Classical Latin
Latin
ipso facto
“By the fact itself; by that very act or circumstance.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
ipso facto
“A learned formula used in scholarly, theological, and legal writing to indicate an immediate consequence.”
17th Century
English
ipso facto
“Borrowed into English as an adverbial phrase meaning “by that very fact.””
Modern English
English
ipso facto
“Used to state that something follows automatically from a particular fact or action.”