nihil obstat

English

Etymology

From Latin nihil (“nothing”) + obstat (“hinders”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɪhɪl ˈɒbstæt/

Noun

nihil obstat (plural nihil obstats)

1. A declaration of no objection; (specifically) a declaration used by the Catholic Church to indicate a book, initiative, or appointment to an office has been found to not breach religious or moral norms.

Latin

Phrase

nihil obstat

1. (Roman Catholicism) This book has been found not to have breached religious or moral norms.

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌniil ˈobstat/ [ˌni.il ˈoβ̞s.t̪at̪]
• Syllabification: ni‧hil obs‧tat

Noun

nihil obstat m (uncountable)

1. nihil obstat

Further reading

• “nihil obstat”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10