Summilla

Summilla is a term most often encountered in legal contexts, particularly within Philippine jurisprudence, though it may appear in other languages and settings with different meanings. In legal usage, sumilla (and its variant spellings such as summilla or sumilla) refers to a brief headnote or synopsis attached to a court decision. This short section aims to capture the essential holding, dispositive outcome, and key points of law, providing readers with a quick overview of the case.

The term is borrowed from Spanish, where it denotes a summary or outline. In practice, the sumilla serves as a concise guide to a decision, helping lawyers, judges, and students grasp the ruling without reading the full opinion. Its exact placement and wording can vary by court and publication, but it is commonly presented at or near the top of the decision document and may be followed by the detailed reasoning and analysis.

The sumilla is distinct from the full opinion and from longer summaries or syllabi used in some jurisdictions. It emphasizes clarity and brevity, aiming to convey the core result and legal principle in a single, readable paragraph. In the Philippines, sumillas are valued for aiding case retrieval and quick reference in legal research and practice.

Outside of legal contexts, the term summilla has little standardized meaning and is not widely used in everyday language. When encountered as a proper noun or in other domains, it may refer to a name or title without a fixed definition.