disclaimer

[ dis-kley-mer ]
/ dɪsˈkleɪ mər /

noun

the act of disclaiming; the renouncing, repudiating, or denying of a claim; disavowal.
a person who disclaims.
a statement, document, or assertion that disclaims responsibility, affiliation, etc.; disavowal; denial.

Origin of disclaimer

1400–50; late Middle English < Anglo-French: to disclaim

VOCAB BUILDER

What does disclaimer mean?

A disclaimer is a statement or document intended to limit the responsibility or legal liability of a company, organization, or person.

Disclaimers typically claim that the party issuing the disclaimer is NOT responsible for certain risks or is NOT affiliated with certain other parties—they make as many statements as they can to deny responsibility.

Example: The disclaimer at the bottom of the page says that this information should be used for entertainment purposes only.

Where does disclaimer come from?

The first records of disclaimer come from the 1400s. It’s borrowed directly from the Anglo-French word disclaimer. Disclaimer is the noun form of the verb disclaim, which in its most general sense means “to disavow” or “to disown.” It uses the prefix dis- to indicate a reversal or negation.

Instead of making positive claims, a disclaimer typically does the opposite: it uses legal language to avoid any association or position that may put the issuing party at risk of being sued. Disclaimers are used to specify or limit the obligations that could be enforced in a legally recognized relationship, such as between a company and its customers or a website and its users. Disclaimers often make use of lengthy passages of legal jargon (sometimes called fine print), with wording like at your own risk and provided “as is” and not liable for any damages. 

Disclaimers aren’t always so wrapped up in legalese. “Swim at your own risk” and “Beware of dog” are both common disclaimers. Of course, having a disclaimer doesn’t mean a company or other organization will never be responsible for any injuries or damages. But they’re at least intended to make you think that.

In a general sense, a disclaimer can be any statement intended to disavow something or avoid responsibility for something.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to disclaimer?

What are some words that share a root or word element with disclaimer

What are some words that often get used in discussing disclaimer?

 

How is disclaimer used in real life?

Disclaimer is most commonly used in a legal context. Disclaimers are often found in contracts and at the bottom of web pages.

 

 

Try using disclaimer!

Which of the following things is a disclaimer intended to avoid?

A. responsibility
B. liability
C. lawsuits
D. all of the above

Example sentences from the Web for disclaimer

British Dictionary definitions for disclaimer

disclaimer
/ (dɪsˈkleɪmə) /

noun

a repudiation or denial